Finding The Light
by TvFan100
Summary: Heartbroken and completely devastated by the loss of her leg in a plane crash, Arizona feels like her life will never be the same. But then a hot shot visiting doctor shows up, and reminds her that the light can always be found...even in the darkest of situations. PREVIOUSLY ONLY FOUR CHAPTERS, BUT IS NOW BEING CONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

**If anyone read my last story, you probably would have read me saying that I was working on a little something to get me through my writers block...well, this is it. As it says in the summary, it is only four chapters long. It's kind of like a one-shot but a little longer, so it has been rolled into four chapters. The story will be completed in no more than two weeks, I can guarantee that. So there will probably be an update every 3-4 days, depending on my work schedule. **

**Anyway, here it is. And I hope you enjoy it.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters y'all.**

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Arizona Robbins sighed heavily, letting her forehead drop forward to rest upon the cool glass of the vending machine that had happened to swallow her dollar only a few minutes ago. Even though she knew there wouldn't be, she let her hands fall into the pockets of her scrub pants, fruitlessly searching for some more change — which, of course, there wasn't.

It was almost comedic how awful the blonde's life had been lately, and this morning was just showcasing that fact even more. First of all, the Doctor from Miami, who was consulting on her Cadaver Bone case, was extremely late; five hours, to be precise. And then, the coffee cart on the first floor was closed — which Arizona thought was the most downright ridiculous thing in the world, because in the two years that she had worked at Seattle Grace, the coffee cart had never _once_ been closed.

But the thing that topped that off, was secured firmly around the residual limb of her left leg.

Her prosthetic.

Staring down at the material of her navy blue scrub pants, a look of disgust quickly appeared on the blonde's face. Arizona _hated_ it. She hated that she begged for her leg not to be cut off. She hated that Alex Karev ignored the fact that she withheld consent, and cut it off her leg, anyway. She hated looking at her leg—residual limb. She hated that, in the past five months, she hadn't once spoke about how she was feeling. She hated that everyone in the hospital looked at her differently. She hated the fact that she hadn't had sex in seven months — and probably would not have sex ever again.

And she hated the fact that she was thirsty and the damn vending machine swallowed up her money.

A heavy exhale was let out of Arizona's mouth. And before she knew it, her hand was forcefully pounding on the vending machine, causing a crashing sound to echo off the walls. She was angry, so unbelievably angry. And if hitting a snack machine took, even a tiny bit of that anger away, then she was going to stand here and do just that.

And then, even though the sound of her hand on the metal was overpowering in her ears, Arizona heard a low, husky, extremely sexy voice speak from behind her.

"What did the vending machine ever do to you?" the unknown voice spoke.

It happened almost instantly, her entire body was covered in goosebumps, and her heart began to pound in her ears. Ignoring the overpowering feelings all over body, Arizona laughed bitterly and turned around, about to unleash _hell_ on whoever thought they were being funny.

But whatever Arizona had planned to say, completely fell back down her throat when she took in the sight of the owner of the extremely sexy voice. It was an extremely sexy woman, and she was smirking cockily at her. Arizona's blue eyes scanned down the length of the woman's body, taking in her gorgeous long, dark hair, and her expressive chocolate brown eyes that were twinkling back at her.

And that body.

That body spoke for itself. The stranger was clad in skin tight dark wash jeans, that showed off her curves to perfection. Blue eyes darted back up to the woman's gorgeous face, but before they could get there, they took in the sight of delicious cleavage encased in a simple dark grey jumper, topped off by the world's sexiest leather jacket.

"Are you okay?" Callie asked, her eyes finally meeting the stunning blue ones of the stranger that was, quite blatantly, checking her out. Not that Callie was caring. Only a minute ago, her own eyes had been unable to tear themselves away from the blonde's scrub-clad ass.

For a few seconds, all that could be heard, was the conversations of people passing by the two of them. Callie felt her palms start to sweat as she continued to stare at the blonde stranger. By the look they were giving each other, it was almost like they knew each other, but were struggling to place the other.

"Do I know you?!" Arizona inquired, her voice far more harsher than what she would have liked. That happened a lot lately, and no matter how hard Arizona tried not to be angry — she just couldn't stop.

Although the blonde's voice was harsh and angry, Callie only grinned in return. "No. You don't know me." A small frown formed on the brunette's face when the blonde simply shot her a dirty look and turned back to the vending machine. "Do you need some help?" Callie asked politely, coming up to stand directly on the blonde's left.

Arizona refused to turn and face the woman, instead choosing to keep her eyes trained on the tall object in front of her. "Unless you have the key to the vending machine, then no. I don't need any help." When a rich, throaty laugh filled the air, Arizona closed her eyes tightly, a feeling of sadness swarming through her stomach. Over the past five months, there had been many scenarios where Arizona _despised_ that she lost her leg. And the situation the blonde was currently in, was one of those situations.

A stunning woman was about to hit on her. Arizona could tell from the way the Latina's eyes travelled up and down her body, the way the woman's husky voice was just a little bit suggestive when she spoke to her. Arizona wasn't an idiot, and she knew when she was being hit on, or about to be hit on.

But it didn't matter if this gorgeous woman flirted with Arizona — because nothing would ever come of it. Once the woman found out Arizona was an amputee, she would be gone in a flash. So Arizona didn't even want to be near pretty women, she didn't want to talk to them, she didn't even want to _look_ at them. Because Arizona couldn't have pretty women anymore.

Because Alex Karev cut her leg off, and ruined her entire life — and her entire future.

"That's funny," Callie quipped, effectively breaking Arizona out of her dark thoughts. "You know you could always just put more money in the machine?"

The look Arizona gave Callie was almost murderous. "You don't think I thought of that?!" she snapped harshly, continuing to press the 'eject' button. When nothing happened, Arizona finally turned and faced the stunning woman next to her. "Do you have a dollar?"

"That depends..." Callie mused, leaning her side against the vending machine, a small smirk playing on her lips.

Arizona licked her lips in frustration, trying to calm her ever growing temper. "Depends on what?"

"Do you have a phone number?" Callie deadpanned. She watched on in amusement as the apparent feisty blonde blushed furiously and looked away.

It was the first time in five months that a woman had looked at Arizona like she wanted her. And despite the fact that she hadn't interacted with an attractive female in such a long time — the urge to flirt back, was almost unbearable. "You wont _ever_ need my phone number." And for the second time in the past few minutes, Arizona turned away from the other woman, desperately hoping that she would just take the hint and walk away.

But the stranger didn't.

Callie smirked, even though she knew the blonde could not see her. "Okay. How about your name, then?"

Why wasn't this woman not giving it a rest? Turning around, Arizona glared at the brunette. "You're kidding, right?"

"I never kid when it comes to asking for pretty girls phone numbers," Callie said with an extremely straight face. "Or names, for that matter."

The look Arizona was currently receiving, was so intense she almost wanted to slam the Latina into the vending machine and just have her dirty way with her. "Look," she began with an overdramatic sigh. "I've had a really bad day, okay. And I don't have time to stand here and flirt with you, so can you just loan me a dollar, or get the hell out my face?" She was frustrated and pissed off, and the hot lady staring at her was not helping matters.

"Why are you having a bad day?" Callie asked, finding it strange that she genuinely wanted to know what was bothering the angry woman. She was completely drawn to the stranger and couldn't bring herself to walk the few short feet to the elevator.

"The coffee cart is closed, even though its _never_ closed. The machine swallowed my money and my purse is in my office — and my office is on the sixth floor!" Arizona breathed out heavily, anger evident in her voice — like it always was these days. "And the stupid surgeon that's supposed to be flying in from Miami to consult on my case, is late!"

Callie couldn't help but grin widely upon hearing this information, because_ she_ was the stupid surgeon flying in from Miami. Which meant the stunning blonde in front of her, was Arizona Robbins. "Well, Arizona Robbins," Callie said, trying the blonde's name on her tongue. "I'm your stupid surgeon from Miami. And I can only apologize for my flight being delayed and having it disrupt your day."

Arizona stared at the woman she now knew she was stuck with for the next four days. "You're Calliope Torres?" She should have known the woman would be dirty hot — anyone that could pull off the name _Calliope Torres _was assured to be a looker. And this woman was.

An instinctive grimace formed on the brunette's face upon hearing the sound of her full name. "Callie is just fine," she corrected. Tentatively, like she was about to touch a rattlesnake, Callie outstretched her hand. "Nice to meet you," she said sincerely.

At the sight of the dazzling smile being sent her way, Arizona managed a timid smile in response. "Yeah," was the only response that seemed to want to leave her mouth. Thankfully, Callie did not seem put off and gripped her hand tight. Arizona was momentarily stunned at the feel of Callie's soft, warm hand in her own. It was her first real physical contact with someone, in five months — and it felt _good_.

Unbeknownst to the shocked blonde, Callie was having the same reaction to having her hand encased in her own. Once the handshake began to end, Callie couldn't help but softly brush her thumb across Arizona's hand. The response was a small hitch in the blonde's throat. And Callie knew that this was going to be a _fun_ five days in Seattle.

"So, yeah, my flight got delayed from Miami," Callie stated apologetically, as she reached into her jeans pocket, withdrawing a dollar. Instead of handing it directly to the blonde, Callie chose to step flush against Arizona's body, reaching her hand around the side of her waist and slipping the money into the machine. Their bodies were almost completely touching, but it did not last long, because Arizona quickly cleared her throat and stepped to the side, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest.

"What do you want?" Callie asked seductively, trying to hold back a smirk as Arizona's mouth momentarily fell open.

Arizona's mouth was suddenly drier than the Sahara. "Wh—what?" she stammered out awkwardly.

"From the machine." Callie indicated to the snacks enclosed in the machine. "What do you want?"

"Oh," Arizona said, almost sounding disappointed. "Water is fine." Nodding in thanks a few seconds later when Callie handed her the water, Arizona began to walk toward the elevator. Callie followed in silence, stealing sideways glances at the silent blonde next to her. Pink lips darted out to wrap themselves around the plastic top of the bottle, and Callie watched entranced, suddenly wishing that those lips were wrapping themselves around...

The elevator doors opened, and an older man in his forties burst out of them, bumping into Arizona before she knew what was happening. Callie was quick to act, however, stepping to the side and securing a firm arm around the blonde's slim waist.

"You good?" Callie asked, steadying the blonde on her feet.

"I got it," Arizona replied, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. But the smile was quickly replaced with a scowl when she felt the water that had spilled out, and was now seeping through her scrub top. "You are kidding me," she groaned quietly, looking at her soaking scrub top.

Callie looked at Arizona awkwardly, unsure if it was okay to smile or not. "You're not really having a great day, are you?"

"You have no idea," the blonde said harshly, stepping into the now-empty elevator, and slamming on the floor she wanted. Her jaw tightened harshly as she leaned against the back wall, hands clenching at her sides.

"At least you're hot?" Callie offered up with a smile. She didn't need to look at the blonde to know that she was scowling, but when she did look — she was right.

Arizona shook her head in annoyance. "You're here for four days because you need to be, okay?" She looked away when Callie turned to face her. "I don't need you to hit on me; I need you to do your job. I didn't want you, Callie — but I got you, anyway," she admitted angrily.

Callie was confused by the comment. And a little pissed off. "What do you mean _you didn't want me_?"

"I wanted McManus from Colorado to consult, but he was unavailable." Arizona couldn't help but feel guilty as a look of hurt appeared on the brunette's face. Why did she have to be such a bitch, all the time?

"So I was your last resort?" Callie asked bitterly, raising an eyebrow challengingly.

The elevator jolted, the motion immediately sending a wave of pain to the blonde's leg. "You weren't my anything," she said simply, refusing to look at the Latina, whose eyes were firmly fixed on her face. "The Chief suggested you, and I was desperate. So here you are."

Callie drew her teeth between her lips. "You're kind of an asshole. Anybody ever tell you that?" She didn't know why, but the fact that the blonde was being an arrogant bitch, only made her even more attractive.

Before Arizona could think of a response, Callie had quickly shot her a dirty look and escaped out of the elevator doors. Thankfully, no one stepped on, and Arizona allowed her head to drop forward in regret at the way she had just treated the beautiful stranger. Arizona hated that she was so god damn angry at everything and everyone.

And Arizona hated the fact that she was so unbelievably attracted to Calliope Torres, when she _knew_ that she couldn't have her. Because she had lost her leg, and women that looked like Calliope Torres didn't go for women with one leg.

* * *

"She's a Class-A bitch, Mark," Callie vented to her old friend from Med school, as the sat in the cafeteria. That was the main reason Callie had chose to consult on Arizona's case — so she had the chance to see Mark and Addison. After fleeing the elevator, Callie had sent Mark a text arranging to meet in the cafeteria for lunch. And she had been bitching about Arizona Robbins ever since.

"Callie," Mark sighed out, shaking his head. "She lost her leg in a plane crash. I told you the story months ago."

The comment did not phase Callie, who only looked at her friend like he was an idiot. Why did losing a leg give the blonde the right to be a downright bitch? "So she's allowed to be an asshole because she's an amputee?"

Callie had heard the tragic story about how several surgeons from Seattle Grace had been involved in a plane crash. And how several had died, and one had lost their leg. It was terribly sad, but Callie didn't know why Mark was sticking up for the raging blonde.

Mark looked up from his sandwich. "She's not been the same since she lost her leg," he admitted sadly. "She's allowed to be angry, Callie."

"You know why she's probably so angry?" Callie asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer. Mark only stared at her in response, awaiting an answer. "It's because people look at her differently. It's because she thinks people feel sorry for her. It's because her friend and family probably walk on eggshells around her." Being an orthopedic surgeon, Callie had first hand experience in dealing with amputees and the anger they often experienced. "Do people here treat her differently?"

"Well, yeah, because..."

"Because she lost her leg," Callie finished, feeling the frustration start to overwhelm her body. "Do you have any idea how she must feel when people look at her like she's different? It's going to make her feel like she _is_ different." The look of realization on Mark's face was almost comical, Callie thought. "I'm not blaming you; I'm only pointing out the obvious."

Mark looked thoroughly confused. "What's the obvious?"

"It's obvious that she hasn't spoke to anyone about what happened to her, and she's bottling up all this anger," Callie answered nonchalantly, like she was reading it from a piece of paper. "I'm guessing she didn't go to therapy after the crash?"

"No," Mark replied solemnly. "She used to be perky, annoyingly perky. And now..." he trailed of sadly. "Now she doesn't come out for drinks with us. She doesn't eat lunch with us. When she does talk to us, she stares off into the distance, like she doesn't even want to be alive."

The force of the last statement hit Callie like a ton of bricks. She didn't know why Mark saying that, caused an ache in the middle of her chest. "She needs to talk about it," was all Callie said, before changing the subject — well, _kind of_ changing the subject. "What's her deal, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Mark quirked an eyebrow.

"She single?" Callie asked bluntly, hoping the answer would come in her favor.

Mark dropped his plastic fork and shook his head forcefully. "No. No. No. You cannot try to hook up with her!" he said sternly. "She's vulnerable and broken. And I forbid you to go near her!"

"I'm not gonna marry the girl," Callie stated defensively, glancing at her watch. "I'm only asking if she's single. She's hot." She shrugged, completely unapologetic for finding the blonde attractive.

"She doesn't even look at girls anymore, anyway." Mark looked completely devastated by that fact. "So it's irrelevant if you decide to hit on her."

"I knew she was gay," Callie smirked confidently. Her earlier thoughts of Arizona staring at her chest were immediately confirmed. "I'm gonna go see the Chief and then go see the hot, angry blonde." She stood up from her chair, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "If I don't turn up for drinks, tonight, then Arizona's probably killed me."

"Great. Have fun with that," Mark offered up, giving his friend a thumbs up.

Standing outside the blonde's office, Callie nervously shifted in place, tentatively reaching her hand up to knock on the door. After a few seconds, a loud call of _come_ _in_ was heard through the door. Doing just that, Callie entered through the door, and then closed it behind her.

Arizona looked up from her desk, a look of shock on her face. "Hi," she said quietly. She hated the nervous feeling around Callie — she had never experienced that with women before. Callie smiled in response, her eyes darting around the office, taking in every little detail. Knowing it had to be done, Arizona let out a heavy breath and apologized. "I'm really sorry about earlier, and the way I treated you," the blonde said sincerely, her eyes empty and sad. "I just — I'm dealing with a lot of crap right now, and I shouldn't take my problems out on other people." Especially on hot, attractive females, she thought to herself. "So.. I'm sorry."

Despite being furious with the blonde only an hour ago, Callie couldn't help but want to rush forward and take the clearly devastated woman into her arms. "I get it. Don't worry about it." After all, it was the truth — Callie _did_ get it.

Arizona nodded, managing a small apologetic smile. It was just then that she notice the navy blue scrubs adorning Callie's body. And how delicious they made the other woman look. "Nice scrubs," she mused.

"Yeah." Callie looked down at her body, her hands toying with the bottom of her scrub top. "I feel kinda naked without a lab coat, though," she admitted with a laugh.

Glancing toward the small wardrobe at the side of her office, Arizona stood up. "I have a spare," she revealed, opening the small door, to reveal several white lab coats.

Callie laughed out loud, and took one of the items of clothing from Arizona's hands. She tried her best to ignore the tingly sensation left on her skin when their hands brushed. "Why do you have so many?"

"I work in Peds," Arizona answered, her dimples popping for the first time in months. "Kids are sick on me all the time."

Callie was taken aback by the sudden smile on the blonde's face — it was positively the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. And those dimples were enough to melt anybody's heart. "Are you okay?" She touched a hand to the blonde's forehead, earning a severely confused look in response. "You're actually smiling," she pointed out, only to have her hand playfully swatted away. "Something must be wrong." It was dangerous territory — Callie didn't know how the blonde would react to the comment.

Arizona, however, surprised the both of them and took it well. "Shut up," she said, another grin lighting up her face. "I can smile." It was such a natural thing...smiling. But, Arizona had found it so difficult, lately. She had found everything so difficult, lately.

Yet here she was, standing in her office, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched Calliope Torres roll up the sleeves of her lab coat.

"It's a pretty smile," Callie commented, brushing down the material of the coat, completely missing the way Arizona shyly looked up at her. "It fits okay."

"Mhmm," Arizona hummed in agreement. Before she even knew what she was doing, her hands were reaching out and tucking in the collar of the white material. The caramel skin of Callie's neck looked so inviting, Arizona thought, as her hands desperately fought to reach out and caress the tanned skin. "Why are you even wearing scrubs; you don't have to meet the patient till tomorrow?" And she regretfully stepped back, out of Callie's personal space.

Callie immediately missed the warmth of the blonde's body so close to her own. "The Chief gave me privileges," she said, grinning. "For the next five days, I'm officially a doctor at this hospital."

Five days with Callie Torres — Arizona figured she could definitely work with that. "That's great. What else did he say?" She found herself hoping that the Chief told Callie the same thing he told her, yesterday.

Callie's cheeks were suddenly flooded with a hint of color. "He said you were to show me around the hospital," she admitted, silently wishing that Arizona would go along with it. "But it's fine, I can find my own way around. I'm sure you're very busy."

Fighting valiantly to hold back a relieved grin, Arizona nodded, before grabbing her pager. "No, I have a free afternoon because you were so late," she teased lightly, leading them both out of her office.

Arizona didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, that the two of them seemed to get along so well. They had been chatting — and flirting — for over an hour, as Arizona continued to show Callie around the hospital. Realistically, the tour should have consisted of only the main parts of the hospital, but after ten minutes, it became clear that both women were enjoying the others company.

A bit too much, perhaps.

Callie had lost count of the amount of times she had caught Arizona staring at her cleavage. And Arizona was constantly on the receiving end of Callie brushing her arm as she told a story, or feeling their hands lightly touch as they walked next to each other.

"You've been Head of Department for two years?" Callie asked in awe. Arizona was young, and already she was running her own department — it made Callie incredibly jealous. Arizona certainly didn't look that much older than her.

"Yeah," Arizona answered simply, giving a nurse a polite smile as she walked past. "I was in Africa for two years and then I got offered the job here."

Callie was becoming more impressed by the second. She had discovered that Arizona was top of her class at Hopkins, made Chief Resident, and was already Head of Department. "Why were you in Africa?"

"I won the Carter Madison Grant, a few years ago." When Callie didn't respond, Arizona looked up. She laughed at the look on Callie's face — it was somewhere between impressed and shocked. "What?" she smirked, tugging on the brunette's lab coat, as Callie continued to stand and stare at her.

"That's pretty amazing," Callie said sincerely. A young male doctor approached them both, and Callie immediately felt Arizona stiffen next to her. Looking to her left, she found it extremely alarming when she noticed that the blonde's jaw was clenched firmly in place.

"Karev," the blonde greeted Alex, but refused to look at him. "What's up?"

Callie looked the younger doctor up and down, hardly believing that this was who Addison had been sleeping with, for the past few months. He was attractive, but he just wasn't what Callie was expecting.

"I, uh — I just wanted to know if I could scrub in on your Cadaver case on Thursday?" Alex asked tentatively, looking a tad uncomfortable.

Arizona glared at him, her blue eyes intense. "You read up on the surgery?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"You read up on every single detail of the patients chart?" It was a surprise to Arizona when she did not feel that angry with Alex standing in front of her — usually, she wanted to repeatedly hit him with a brick.

Alex squirmed under his boss's scrutinizing stare. "Yeah."

"Fine." As much as Arizona couldn't bare to even look at him sometimes, he was still her resident and she trusted him impeccably in the OR. "Two O'clock. OR 2."

Alex nodded in thanks, a smile lighting up his entire face. And then he turned to Callie, but before he could say anything, Arizona quickly stepped in. "Walk away, Karev. Right now!" She didn't want his eyes dragging over Callie's body like she was a piece of meat.

Callie watched on in amusement as he did exactly as Arizona told him. "_That's_ who Addison has been sleeping with?!" she asked in shock, her voice reaching a level higher than its normal range.

Arizona giggled, and began to lead them to the ER. "That's Alex." That was the person who cut off her leg.

_Five Months Ago_

_"What if the infection spreads?!" Alex demanded, his voice close to breaking. "You're not dying on me because you don't want to live with one leg!"_

_Arizona closed her eyes tightly, leaning back on her pillow, the pain in her leg becoming close to unbearable. "You're not cutting off my leg," she wheezed out, her fists balling at her sides. "Nobody is cutting off my leg!"_

_"You'd rather die?" Alex asked harshly, looking at Bailey, who was stood in the doorway, for support._

_"I-I withhold consent," Arizona revealed, her eyes now shining with tears. That comment made Bailey charge into the room, a stern look on her face. "I give nobody permission to cut off my leg."_

_Bailey watched on, terrified, as the Peds surgeon struggled for breath. "You're not being rational, Arizona. People can live as an ampu—"_

_"Don't say it!" Arizona spat harshly, feeling her heart begin to beat faster by the second. "I'm not losing my leg. I'm not losing my leg." She was fighting harder to stay awake, the intensity in her chest was becoming too overpowering. "I'm not losing...my..."_

_Alex rushed forward in a panic as the blonde suddenly stopped talking, the sound of the heart monitor ripping through the room. "NO! NO! Wake up. Wake up." He pressed a hand to her neck, feeling sick at the feeling of the barely there pulse. "It's her leg," he said, looking at Bailey. "We need to cut it off!"_

_Bailey stood, frozen in place, tears brimming in her eyes. "She withheld consent," she said dumbly._

_Alex looked like he had just been slapped. Hard. No words were forming from either of them, and at that moment, the Chief appeared in the doorway. He paled when he took on the sight of his Peds surgeon crashing. "What the hell happened?!"_

_"She withheld consent. We're not allowed to cut her leg off, and the infection spread," Bailey stated, her voice dead of any emotion. _

_The Chief shook his head solemnly, his hand going to his head. "Oh my god."_

_"What is wrong with you people?!" Alex spat, kicking up the wheels of his boss's bed. "She is going to die — do you realize that?" Before either of them could answer, he continued yelling. "Are either of you going to physically stop me from cutting off her leg?"_

_Two quiet "no's" filled the air, and Alex pushed the bed forward, passed the two older surgeons. "I'm cutting off her leg," he whispered to himself._

"That's kind of an odd couple," Callie mused, entering through the door to the crowded ER. "Don't you think?"

Arizona didn't really think much of it, she had seen far weirder couples in her time at Seattle Grace. "Not really," Arizona commented. She was positively entranced by the disgruntled look on Callie it took her a few seconds to notice the trauma coming into the ER.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" a man entering through the door yelled. There was a young child in his arms, and as Arizona got closer, she realized several bite marks had took severe chunks out of the little boys arms. The bones were visible, and looked severely damaged.

Arizona, followed by Callie, rushed forward to the boys side. "Okay. He's lost a lot of blood; he needs surgery, right now. Somebody book an OR," she said in a rush, barely pausing for breath.

"What happened?" Callie asked, gently touching the ripped flesh of the child's arms.

"A dog," the father answered through his tears. "I don't even know whose dog it was. He was playing and then I heard him screaming..."

Callie nodded, not needing the man to finish. Arizona looked at the nurse, who had just put the phone down. "Is there an OR free?" the blonde asked desperately. The nurse nodded once. Arizona turned to Callie, a hopeful look on her face. "Scrub in with me."

"Of course. Yeah," Callie answered.

"Dr. Robbins," the nurse, Andrea, called out quietly, before the Peds surgeon could leave the ER. "The only OR available, is OR 3." The was a look of sheer dread on her face as she said it.

Arizona's face paled completely upon hearing the nurses words. It took a split second for her to feel physically sick. She didn't even notice that she had took a step backwards and grabbed Callie's wrist in a vice-like grip.

Callie looked from the nurse and then back to Arizona, who looked beyond terrified. She let her gaze drop to Arizona's hand that was holding onto her own for dear life. What could be so bad about OR 3?

Inhaling a shaky breath, Arizona had no idea how she managed to form a proper sentence. "I don't operate in OR 3, so you need to find me a different one, or this kid is going to die!" She was shaking in anger, and in fear.

"There's no other OR's available. I'm sorry," Andrea apologized. By now, everyone in the ER was staring at the blonde doctor, waiting for the outburst that the knew was about to come.

And it did.

"I have a deal with the Chief!" Arizona snapped, her eyes shooting daggers at everyone who was looking in her direction. "He knows, I know, and everybody in this god damn hospital knows, that I can't go into OR 3!"

Arizona couldn't go into a room, where she knew that, months ago, her leg was amputated in that room. She felt her heart rate quicken every time she went near the door.

"Get me the Chief!" Arizona demanded, finally letting go of Callie's hand and stepping toward the nurse.

"He's in surgery," came the quiet response.

Arizona slammed her hands forcefully down onto the desk. The movement immediately made Callie rush to her side. "PAGE ALEX KAREV AND GET HIM DOWN TO DO THIS SURGERY. RIGHT NOW!" Arizona fumed, her voice was deathly close to breaking despite it sounding so angry.

Just as the nurse picked up the phone, Callie intervened. "Don't page anybody," she said, begging the nurse with her eyes. "Dr. Robbins is fine. Give her five minutes to calm down. Do not page Alex Karev!"

Callie dragged the blonde into the nearest trauma room before she had a chance to protest. Arizona began pacing immediately, her voice shaky and desperate. "I can't go into that OR, Callie," she declared, leaning her head against the wall opposite the door, facing away from Callie.

"Why?" Callie softly requested, coming to stand behind the terrified blonde.

Arizona shook her head, refusing to say the words. "You won't understand." No one understood.

No one.

"Try me." Tentatively, Callie touched a hand to the blonde's shoulder, gently coaxing her into turning around. When Arizona did turn around, Callie felt her heart shatter _— _Arizona looked broken. More broken than Callie had ever seen a person look.

And so, Callie hugged her, because she knew it was what she was supposed to do. Her arms wrapped tightly around the blonde's waist.

Arizona was rigid in the embrace for a few seconds, completely terrified at the thought of someone physically touching her. No one had touched her in five months. She pushed her mother away when she tried. She told Teddy to get to hell. She told Bailey that she never wanted to see her again.

No one was supposed to be touching her. So Arizona was confused more than anything, when she found herself wrapping her arms around Callie's neck and burying her head into the brunette's neck.

And suddenly, Arizona wasn't scared of going into OR 3, anymore. In that moment, Arizona wasn't scared of anything.

Other than the fact that Calliope Torres made her heart pound like it was about to break through her ribs _— _that was just downright _terrifying_.

Everything about Arizona was overwhelming, Callie was struggling to focus. All she could seem to realize, was that the skin on her neck, where Arizona's lips were pressed against, had erupted in goosebumps. And they were increasing with every inhale and exhale that the blonde took.

"I'm okay," Arizona admitted in a whisper, her lips brushing against the soft skin of Callie's neck.

Callie fought against the groan that ached to leave her lips. "You sure?" She pulled back, bringing them out of the hug, but leaving their faces painfully close together.

"Yeah," Arizona nodded, taking a step back. "Sorry. I'm sorry..."

"Don't," Callie pleaded, giving the blonde a reassuring smile. "Maybe apologize to that nurse, though."

Arizona managed a laugh, even though the air was thick with tension. "I will." She gave Callie one more smile before walking slowly to the door, holding it open for the Latina, who was right behind her. The nurse in question was no where to be seen, and Arizona reminded herself, internally, to find Andrea as soon as she scrubbed out.

The ride up to the OR was painfully silent. Both women's thought were going a mile a minute, stealing sideways glances at the other when they thought they weren't looking.

If there was a poster for sexual tension _— _they would both be assured to be on it.

When directly outside the OR 3 scrub room, Arizona's entire body went rigid, her blood feeling cold as it ran through her veins. Alex Karev stood in this room, five months ago, before he cut off her leg.

Seeing the OR board a few feet away, Callie grabbed the pen, before walking to stand in front of the still blonde. Quickly, she used the pen to draw a number one next to the number three.

Arizona screwed her eyes up in confusion, a deep laugh tumbling from her pink lips. "What the hell is that?"

"That," Callie indicated to the scrub room behind them, "is OR 13." The smile that took over the blonde's face was gorgeous. So undeniably gorgeous. And Callie was so painfully attracted to the woman in front of her.

Arizona continued to laugh; the sound was like music to Callie's ears, and a grin lit up the Latina's face. "Okay." Arizona took a deep breath, turning to face the scrub room door. She was locked in place, however, staring at the door, unable to actually cross the threshold.

From behind the blonde, Callie placed a gentle hand on the side of the smaller woman's waist. "Nothing is going to happen to you in there," she earnestly insisted, letting her other hand rest on Arizona's shoulder. "I promise. Trust me."

Blue eyes fluttered closed as Arizona allowed Callie's words to float through her entire body. The result of Callie just being there, standing behind her, her hands softly placed upon her own body, was soothing and relaxing. Instead of verbally answering, the blonde only nodded, knowing that Callie would follow her straight inside, anyway.

To the blonde's surprise, the scrub room felt...normal. It felt like OR 2 felt. They scrubbed in silence, Arizona refusing to take her eyes off her hands. And Callie openly glancing at the blonde, looking worried.

Upon entering the OR, Arizona kept her eyes trained on the table where she knew was where she lay five months ago before her leg was amputated. She knew if she stared any longer, the unavoidable tears would begin to prick at the corners of her eyes. But she didn't want that; too many tears had been shed over the past few months, and right now was not the time for more.

Stepping to the opposite side of the table, directly across from the blonde, Callie gave Arizona an encouraging nod. Arizona smiled, even though she knew that Callie could not see it.

It was fine. Everything was fine. Callie was here. And she promised that nothing was going to happen. That was enough to get Arizona through the surgery. So she sucked it up and she got on with it.

"Scalpel," Arizona said confidently.

* * *

Arizona smiled, entering the scrub room behind Callie, who also had a smile on her face. "That was good," she said, sounding a little bit shocked. "You're really great." The surgery had been a complete success, the two of them managing to work together _—_ extremely well _—_ to restore full function in the child's arm. There would be scars, they both knew that, but Mark could work his magic at a later date.

"Glad you picked me as a last resort?" Callie teased, rinsing the suds from her hands.

Arizona rolled her eyes playfully. "I said I was sorry," she insisted, glancing sideways at Callie. She was scared that the ortho surgeon was actually upset, but the teasing smirk on the Latina's face told her otherwise. "You're not a last resort; you're very talented, Calliope." She managed her most charming smile.

Callie leaned sideways on the sink, finding herself enthralled by the way her full name managed to roll off Arizona's tongue. "We're good together." She took a step forward and began to dry her hands on the towel that Arizona was already using. The urge to be close to the blonde was overpowering. And the urge to flirt was even stronger. "It's easy to see why you're head of department," she smiled, looking down at the towel when their hands seemed to _accidentally_ brush under the soft material.

Arizona was so distracted by the first comment and Callie's hands touching her own, she barely registered the second comment. She internally berated herself, telling herself to get a grip, to stop thinking and just flirt back. Women used to through themselves at her, she was so used to flirting and she was _so_ good at it — but now...now, it was non-existent.

Or so she thought.

"Very good together," Arizona insisted, her tone flirtatious. Feeling Callie's eyes on her, Arizona looked up, a shaky breath leaving her lips when she realized that their faces were inches apart.

Glancing down at the blonde's lips, Callie couldn't help but notice how soft and inviting they looked...like they would cushion perfectly against her own. "Do you have plans tonight?" she huskily asked.

And with that, Arizona was back to being a fumbling mess that could barely manage to form a coherent sentence. "What _—_ why?" she stammered out nervously, swallowing heavily.

"Mark said a few people were going to the bar across the street, for drinks," Callie replied, letting their hands brush once more. "You wanna come?"

"Oh." Arizona hadn't been for drinks since the accident. She had barely left the house, save for work, really. And she wanted to go, she wanted to hang out with her friends and Callie _—_ but she couldn't. "I have early morning rounds," she half-lied, plastering on a tight smile. "Maybe some other time."

Despite expecting the answer, Callie still felt disappointed. "How about Friday?" She knew by the look on the blonde's face that she wanted to say yes, it was just getting her to say yes, that was the clear problem. Callie knew it was a matter of confidence and insecurity.

"Um, I _—_ maybe." With a smile, Arizona reluctantly took a step backwards, putting some distance between herself and the gorgeous woman.

"I'll told you to that." Callie disregarded the towel before stepping backwards to exit the scrub room. She gave the blonde a mega watt grin and a small wave. "Goodnight, Arizona."

Arizona found herself returning the smile. "Goodnight, Calliope," she softly said. And Callie was gone. And Arizona was left standing alone, in a scrub room, with the biggest smile on her face.

It was the first time in five months that Arizona left the hospital with a smile on her face.

* * *

**Next chapter should be up by Thursday-ish. If anyone reading this is a reader of Permanent Transfer, I'm letting you know that I have been working on a new chapter. I had about 5,000 words written and when I tried to refresh the page, I lost about 4,000 of that. It's a set back, and I'm so, so pissed off — especially after not having the motivation to write it. After I've finished editing and writing this story, I shall go back and start working on PT.**

**Have a Happy New Year, when it comes!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters y'all.**

* * *

A deep, throaty moan escaped Arizona's lips, her body occasionally twitching from side to side. A light sheen of sweat was covering the front of her pajama top, her blonde hair matted to her forehead as her still-sleeping body continued to hum and writhe on the bed.

_Leaning against the table in the cafeteria, Arizona watched on with bated breath as Callie walked towards her from across the room. Blue eyes raked down the Latina's body as Arizona's tongue darted out to wet her now-dry lips. Clad only in a black lace bra and matching underwear, topped off with black high heels, Arizona felt the heat pool low in her underwear as she eyed up the beauty in front of her._

_Swaying her hips sexily from side to side as she walked, Callie stopped directly in front of the flushed blonde, purposely pushing her breasts directly into Arizona's body. The response was a small moan, and pale hands tentatively placing themselves on her naked sides. "Take your clothes off," she demanded huskily._

_Arizona bit her lip in contemplation, her eyes darting round the busy cafeteria. "There's people here," she pointed out dumbly, raking her nails up and down the caramel skin of Callie's ribs._

_"So?" Callie raised a challenging eyebrow, her brown eyes darkening to near-black as the blonde slowly stripped off her scrub top. Slowly, she leaned in, allowing herself to taste the smooth, creamy skin of Arizona's collar bone. "I want you," came the throaty admission._

_Gasping slightly when Callie's strong hands found their way to her ass, Arizona allowed herself to be pulled flush against Callie's gorgeous body before being deposited on the edge of the table. "People are watching us."_

_"Let them," Callie brushed the comment off, smoothly unclipping Arizona's bra, freeing the creamy breasts from the red lace wrapped around them. Red lips found their way to a turgid nipple, roughly taking the bud into a warm awaiting mouth. "I want everybody to know that you're mine."_

_Arizona hummed in appreciation, blue eyes drifting closed as Callie's tongue continued to worship her naked chest. "I need you. Right now." Her hands gripped the edge of the desk, nails digging into the hard material. A seductive smile was sent her way before Callie's hands began to pull her scrubs, and then her underwear, down her legs._

_Brown eyes landed on the glistening center in front of them, the sight causing the exact same reaction in Callie's black thong. Tanned hands landed on the blonde's hips, and Callie aggressively pulled a naked Arizona flush against her, feeling the blonde's legs wrap firmly around her waist. "How long have you wanted this?" she whispered, her lips inches away from the blonde's._

_Arizona leaned in, a look of frustration appearing on her face when Callie leaned back. She knew she would have to answer if she wanted those glorious hands where she desperately needed them. "Since the first time I saw you." Pale hands weaved their way around a long, tanned neck. "Kiss me," the blonde begged, anxiously awaiting the feel of those seductive lips pressing against her own. _

_The wait was painful, Arizona felt like she had been waited days for this moment, but finally, Callie's lips were millimetres away from her own. Blue eyes fluttered closed and then..._

Arizona sat bolt upright in her bed, gasping for breath as her eyes darted around the room. With a deathly shaky hand, she leaned over and switched her alarm off. A sex dream, she quickly realized, throwing the comforter off her incredibly aroused body. She had just had a sex dream about Calliope Torres. She didn't have to look at her underwear to know that they were absolutely ruined.

The last time Arizona had sex, was two months before the plane crash. She hadn't had that sweet, sweet pleasure in over seven months, and she desperately wanted a release more than anything. Sex had been the last thing on her mind over the past few months, but it was the_ only_ thing on her mind, this morning.

It would be crossing a line if she let her hand cross the threshold of her sleep shorts, Arizona knew that. And she knew that if she did partake in self pleasure whilst thinking about the gorgeous ortho surgeon, she would not be able to look Callie in the eye, for the next three days.

With a groan, Arizona heaved her sexually frustrated body to the side of her bed, sighing sadly when her eyes rested upon the prosthetic laying on the floor. Like she had done every day for the past five months, Arizona secured the prosthetic, whilst refusing to look at her residual limb. She couldn't look at it — it was disgusting and she hated it with her entire being.

Since she had woken up without a leg, Arizona could count on one hand, the amount of times her blue eyes had landed on her residual limb. When in the shower, she kept her eyes fully trained on anything other than her left leg. When donning her prosthetic, she closed her eyes when securing the limb in place. Five months and Arizona still refused to look at it. And she doubted that was going to change any time soon.

As she shifted on the bed, the movement caused the seem of her underwear to brush across her sensitive slit, sending a shockwave of pleasure all over the blonde's body. "Oh god," Arizona groaned, almost painfully. She silently cursed Dr. McManus from Colorado — it was his fault she was stuck with Calliope Torres, and her sexy ways.

Arizona was already dreading the day ahead, and she wasn't even out of bed, yet.

* * *

"Do you think it's weird, that I'm sleeping with him?" Addison asked, eager to know her friend's opinion.

Callie grimaced, not particularly wanting to talk about the infamous Alex Karev. "It's not weird; he's just not who I saw you ending up with." She accepted the two coffee's from the barista, giving a small smile in thanks. "Do you like him or is it just sex?"

"It's just sex, Callie," Addison scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Callie raised a knowing eyebrow. "You like him, don't you?"

Addison looked away, sighing. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, I've been here for one day and I've already figured it out, so I'm gonna go with _yes_!" Discreetly, Callie looked at the entrance to the lobby, hoping to see a head of blonde hair entering. Disappointed when she didn't see what she was looking for, Callie looked back to her friend. "Why don't you just ask him out?" she inquired, taking a sip of the piping hot liquid.

Addison looked at the brunette like she was crazy. "I can't do that," she gasped, pressing the button to the elevator. "He's an ass. I'm not going out with him. It's just a crush, anyway."

"A crush that's lasted months," Callie deadpanned, trying not to smirk. Just as she was about to step onto the elevator, she spotted a head of blonde hair standing at the opposite elevator. "Uhh, I'm gonna go...get some more coffee."

Addison didn't notice that her friend looked somewhat distracted; she was too busy staring at her phone. "Yeah, great. I'll meet you for lunch," she mumbled distractively, barely paying her friend any attention.

Satisfied that Addison didn't think she was lying, Callie stepped off to the side, coming to stand behind the daydreaming blonde. "Hey," she smiled, making Arizona jump in the process. "Sorry." She placed a gentle hand on the blonde's arm, offering her an apologetic smile.

The hand on her arm sent a shiver down her spine, but Arizona, somehow, manage to give Callie a stiff nod. "S'okay." She looked away in embarrassment, trying to ignore the flashes of last nights dream that were now running through her mind.

"You're kinda jumpy," Callie pointed out, looking at the blonde, who in turn, was now staring a hole through the elevator doors. "Are you okay?"

Sensing that Callie probably thought she was crazy, Arizona turned and gave the Latina a reassuring smile. "No. Of course, I'm fine. It's just early and I haven't had any coffee. You know how it is."

Callie offered up the cup of coffee that was still in the cup holder. "I got you coffee." A raised eyebrow was sent in Callie's direction. And for the first time since they first met, the tables had turned and Callie was the one who was blushing. "You know...yesterday you said you didn't have coffee. So I thought that I'd..." she trailed off with a sigh, and handed Arizona the cup, hoping that actions would speak louder than words.

Arizona's face lit up — but the steaming hot cup of coffee was only half the reason. "Thank you," she grinned, showing off her dimples as she carefully sipped the scolding hot liquid. "So, how was last night? Drinks?"

"Could have been better," Callie answered in a flash, a suggestive tone to her voice.

This time, however, Arizona did not blush. Instead she tilted her head to the side, daring Callie to continue. Callie did not expect the lingering look, and whatever she had been planning to say next — she didn't say. Arizona smirked to herself, stepping onto the elevator when it appeared, reminded herself that she could do this. She _could_ flirt with Callie. She _could_ make Callie blush. She _could_ still be her normal self.

"Lexie's nice," Callie said, changing the subject. She stepped to the side of the blonde, thankful that the small crowd around them made it necessary. "Didn't picture Mark with somebody like her. They're cute."

Arizona nodded in agreement. "She's tamed him," she laughed a little, shocking herself that she was actually _laughing_. "You and Mark...ever?" She raised a suggestive eyebrow, giving Callie _the look._

Callie's face fell into a frown as she contemplated what Arizona was asking. "You wanna know if I ever had sex with Mark?" Arizona nodded in response. And Callie couldn't help the laughter from tumbling from her lips.

"Why is that funny?" Despite not wanting to, Callie's laugh was infectious, and the blonde couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. "Mark likes pretty girls; you're a pretty girl." A very, _very_ pretty girl, Arizona thought to herself.

Letting the laughter die down, Callie straightened out her face, and leaned in close to Arizona's ear, her lips brushing against the shell. "I like pretty girls, too," she whispered, unable to ignore the visible shiver that rippled through Arizona's body. God, she wanted to make Arizona shiver in a completely different way.

Arizona fought to remain upright, her eyes clenching shut in frustration. Why was this happening to her? Why was Calliope tempting her, with something she could not have? Why did those plump lips feel so good pressed against her body?

When she opened her eyes again, Callie was walking out of the elevator, a cocky smile on her face. "You coming?" the Latina asked as she continued to smirk in triumph.

Dear god, the eyebrow and the suggestive voice from Callie, were just...too much. Arizona gritted her teeth, and stepped off the elevator, following Callie down the hall to her office. She looked at her office door in confusion. "Why are we here?"

"I thought we were looking over the patient's chart, before the surgery tomorrow," Callie said, looking confused.

"We can use one of the conference rooms, instead," Arizona suggested, sipping her beverage. "My office is kinda small."

"I don't mind," Callie responded immediately, wearing the same smirk that constantly seemed to be on her face when she was around the gorgeous blonde.

Too distracted to argue, Arizona withdrew her keys and carefully unlocked her door, leading them both inside. "We can go over it quickly and then I can take you down to meet the parents. They're pretty anxious to meet you," the blonde revealed, settling down in her seat.

That made Callie feel nervous. "Why are they anxious to meet me?" she inquired, sitting at the opposite side of the desk, facing Arizona.

"This surgery was planned for eight months ago, but the surgeon that was supposed to be consulting backed out at the last second," Arizona said sadly. She didn't need to open the patients chart — every detail of this surgery, and the patient, had been memorized for months.

"It took eight months to get another surgeon?" Callie knew the surgery was risky and not a lot of surgeons felt comfortable doing it on a child under four, but eight months was a tad ridiculous.

Arizona licked her lips, shaking her head. "It was rearranged for five months ago, but..." But she had lost her leg in a plane crash and the surgery had to be canceled. She fought past the urge to be sick and continued. "I got sick. And I had to take some time off," she quietly stated, her voice distant and shaky. She looked up at Callie wearily, her sad blue eyes pleading the Latina not to ask.

Knowing exactly why Arizona had to take the time off, Callie offered up a small smile, a look of sadness on her own face. She didn't like seeing Arizona look so broken — the look didn't suit the blonde. Callie fully imagined Arizona to be happy, perky, full of joy, and she knew that the bitchy attitude she came across yesterday — was a complete defence mechanism.

"Well, I'm glad that you're back. And that I'm doing this surgery with you." Callie gave a sincere smile, but her voice still held that flirty edge.

Arizona was having a hard time figuring out if Callie was just naturally flirty, or if there was an actual meaning behind it. She really hoped it was the latter. "I'm glad you got picked as my last resort," she teased, her blue eyes twinkling just a little bit.

Callie quickly realized that Arizona's smile was positively infectious, the dimples on the blonde's face were captivating. And Callie couldn't bring herself to look away. "You should have a drink with me to make up for that comment," she nervously suggested, plastering on a smile in hopes that it would mask the nerves. "It really stung."

Fully convinced Calliope was joking and not being serious, Arizona shook her head with a smile. "I'm sure it did," she mocked, missing the look of disappointment on the Latina's face. "So, you know the case?"

Moving past being half-rejected, Callie tilted her head playfully. "No, I figured I'd just wing it and see what happens," she sarcastically stated, keeping her face neutral.

Normally, Arizona would have found such a comment to be annoying and irritating — but not when Calliope Torres was saying it. Callie was funny, Arizona liked funny girls. She liked laughing, and Callie was doing a fantastic job of making her laugh again. "I normally get high before I go into the OR, anyway. So I know where you're coming from."

"Me, too," Callie gasped mockingly. "Soul mates or what, huh?" God, that laugh was setting Callie's nerves on fire. No matter how hard Callie tried, she could not take her eyes off Arizona Robbins.

"Okay," Arizona said, once she was sure that her laughter had stopped. "I trust that you know what you're doing. I'm gonna take you to meet the parents." Heaving herself upwards, she made her way round the edge of the desk, headed for the door.

Out of habit, Arizona's hand instantly went to her scrubs, checking for her pager. Realizing it was still sat on her desk, she spun around on the spot, only to end up walking straight into Callie's firm body. Instinctively, her hands went to Callie's hips, steadying herself. "Sorry," the blonde mumbled quietly, finally coming to terms with their positions. They were standing flush against each other, her hands on Callie's body. She had her hands on a woman's body; something she never thought would happen again. And said woman was staring at her lips.

Swallowing heavily, looking away from Callie's intense stare, Arizona stumbled round the side of the Latina, needing to get away from the gorgeous woman. "Ok-okay. You Ready?" she mumbled out, her tongue thick and heavy in her mouth.

Callie raised an amused eyebrow, and then gestured to the door, "After you."

* * *

The eyes of the patients mother, Rachel, stared at the brunette intently for several seconds before turning back to the blonde. "Are you sure she's qualified to do this?" she whispered to the Peds surgeon.

Biting back a chuckle as an intense, offended look appeared on Calliope's face, Arizona gave the mother a reassuring smile. "Yes. Dr. Torres is qualified, and extremely talented. Marcus is in very good hands." Tanned, muscular, smooth_ hands_ that would feel so good running all over her naked flesh. Blue eyes closed in frustration as the dirty thoughts ceased to let up.

"It's no disrespect to you, Dr. Torres." Rachel still didn't look convinced as she turned her attention back to Callie. "It's just that we've been waiting for this surgery for months. And we know how hard this surgery can be, and Dr. Robbins has told us countless times that surgeries like this one have a slim chance of working, on kids as young as Marcus."

"I understand that." Despite the fact that the woman's features softened a little, Callie still felt like the patients mother did not trust her.

And then right on cue, that trust was tested. "Do you trust her?" Rachel asked Arizona frantically.

Glancing sideways, Arizona was met with warm, soulful brown eyes staring back at her. And with just one look, she knew that she did trust Callie. She trusted Callie deeply, and not just in professional terms. "Yes, I do," she confirmed softly, forcing herself to look away from those chocolate orbs. "I wouldn't be doing this surgery if I didn't think she could do it."

Trust. She had gained Arizona Robbins trust. A woman, who Callie knew, did not trust anyone in her life. And she trusted her. It gave the brunette a warm and fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and a stupid, sickly sweet smile on her face.

They had both expected the blonde's comment to calm the mother down. But it did not. Rachel seemed to move on from one panic, to another. "But what — what if the surgery doesn't work?"

Arizona's mouth ran dry. She knew the answer — knew it far too well — it was just getting the answer to leave her mouth, that was the problem. Callie, however, did it for her. "We would have to amputate the limb," the Latina said. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched an array of emotions mask the blonde's face.

"No!" Rachel yelled in devastation, tears welling in her eyes. "He can't lose his leg."

By now, Arizona was completely silent and pale. And Callie knew that she was going to have to calm this woman down. Alone. She knew this surgery was going to be hitting far too close to home for Arizona, whose eyes were now staring emptily at the floor. It hurt. Seeing Arizona looking like this _hurt_.

"I know that a lot of people think that amputation is the worst possible outcome — but it's not!" Callie stressed, looking at both Arizona and the patient's mother. Only one of them, however, was actually looking back. "Nearly _all_ amputations are made, to save a patient's life. And it's not the end of the world." When Rachel choked out a sob and looked away, Callie took the opportunity to try and regain the blonde's attention. "Trust me," she softly requested, speaking directly to Arizona. "Amputation is not the end of the world."

Arizona could feel the tears begin to well in her eyes. A part of her actually believed Callie's words...they were spoken so gently and with meaning. But another part of her — the part that caused her to feel constant rage on a daily basis — wanted to scream in Callie's face and tell her that she didn't have a clue what she was talking about. It was so easy for the pretty girl with no problems in life, to stand there and say that being an amputee was the only option.

It wasn't the only option, though. Arizona had found herself wishing for another option on more than one occasion.

"How is he going to walk?!" Rachel demanded, her voice harsh as she looked at the brunette doctor. "How is he going to swim? How is he going to chase his friends?"

"He can still do those things," Callie insisted. Her frustration was starting to creep in, however; she knew this woman freaking out about her son becoming an amputee was not going to help Arizona, at all. If anything, Callie knew it was going to make the blonde feel so much worse. Although, judging by the sullen look on Arizona's face — she didn't really know if the blonde could feel any worse.

Rachel looked at Callie disbelievingly. "But... what if the other kids laugh at him, or. . ." a crack in the woman's voice cut the question off.

"Statistics show that the younger the person is, the quicker they can adapt to a prosthetic limb." Callie finally felt like she was getting somewhere when she saw a glimmer of hope in Rachel's eyes. "It would be different it he was an adult and—"

"And he felt like his life was going to end," Arizona finished, before Callie could get the chance. When the blonde finally looked up from the floor, she found herself looking at two extremely shocked faces. Callie looked...worried, whilst Rachel just looked stunned. "But he's just a kid, so you won't need to worry about that," she tried to sound as convincing as possible, even throwing in a tight-lipped smile for good measure. Arizona knew Callie wasn't buying it — she felt like those penetrating brown eyes were gazing into her soul.

Hearing _that_ spill from Arizona's lips stunned Callie into silence. To think that this incredible woman was going through something like this alone, was just heart-breaking. Sometimes — like, right now — when those baby blues latched onto her own, Callie felt Arizona was asking her for something, asking her _do_ something. She shook her head at her own craziness. Clearly her _crush_ on the blonde, was getting the better of her.

For another half hour, both doctors stayed with the patient's mother, going over the initial surgery and what would happen if they were successful, or unsuccessful. The surgery was consisting of removing all the bones in the leg, from the below the knee to the ankle, and replacing them with cadaver bones. But because the child's bones were no where near fully grown — the surgery was risky. And that was why 9/10 ortho surgeons would not do it on children so young.

Closing the door behind her, Callie cast a glance upwards at the blonde, who admittedly, looked a lot better than she did a half hour ago. There was some color back in her face, and she wasn't constantly looking at the ground. Although, Callie basically knew the answer, she couldn't but ask, anyway. "Do you wanna go grab some lunch?"

Arizona opened her mouth to say no, but what came out instead, was a quiet, "Yeah, okay," surprising both herself and Callie. She had no idea what that was. And she had no idea why she hadn't opened her mouth and changed her mind. Instead, she was letting Callie lead them to the elevator. And she was letting Callie whisper in her ear when the two interns in front of them began to argue over the best way to do an appy. And she really didn't know why she turned herself into the glorious body next to her and began to laugh into Callie's shoulder, when the Latina continued to mock the incompetent interns. Arizona didn't really know what Calliope Torres was doing to her.

But, whatever it was...Arizona liked it.

* * *

"I'm just saying it would be nice to get an email as a warning," Addison moaned in annoyance. "I have to rearrange my surgery for one stupid meeting."

"Oh my god," Teddy gasped.

Addison waved her hands in glee. "Thank you!" She shot the rest of the table a glare. "Someone actually understands."

"What? No!" Teddy nodded towards the cafeteria line, and the rest of the table did the same. "Oh my god, at _that_." Several shocked gasps were released around the table as they all took in the sight of the blonde standing in the cafeteria line.

"Robbins is out of her office," Mark said dumbly, his eyes wide with shock.

Bailey twisted around in her chair. "She's not yelling at everybody in sight."

"And she's flirting with a hot brunette." Teddy tilted her head to the side, unsure if she was seeing things correctly.

"The hot brunette's whispering in her ear," Cristina commented, surprising everyone by actually taking an interest.

"And now Arizona's...laughing?" April questioned, scrunching up her face in confusion. Because Arizona Robbins didn't laugh. Not anymore, anyway.

"I'm gonna go say something to this woman." Teddy looked pissed as she shoved her tray away. "She's obviously taking advantage of her. Who the hell is that woman, anyway?" she all but yelled. "I've never seen her before."

Addison grabbed the blonde's wrist and yanked her back into her chair. "Relax," she chided. "That's Callie Torres. She's mine and Mark's friend from med school." Her eyes glanced over to the blonde and brunette, the twinkle in her friends brown eyes was undeniable. That couldn't be good — especially when the blue eyes of the blonde were twinkling back. "She's consulting on a case with Arizona."

"Why the hell is she standing so close to her and whispering in her ear?" Teddy asked angrily, feeling protective of her friend, who she knew hadn't even had a conversation with a female that wasn't a doctor, in almost six months.

"Will you calm down?" Mark berated, feeling protective of _his_ friend. "Callie's not like that; she'd never take advantage of Robbins."

"Who care if she is taking advantage of her?" Cristina mumbled, tearing apart her sandwich with her hands. "Blondie's actually smiling, and she hasn't smiled, in about five years. Let the hot brunette take advantage of her."

The comment, unsurprisingly, earned the Cardio resident several annoyed looks and shakes of the head. Teddy didn't look convinced, and she continued to eye up the raven haired doctor like she was a wasp, waiting to strike ay any minute. Addison, however, was starting to smile.

Over at the lunch line, Callie raised an eyebrow at the blonde when she noticed that there was no tray or food in her hands. "You're not eating?"

Arizona gave a small shake of the head. "I'm not really that hungry." Ever since the crash, her appetite had disappeared into nothing, and she knew that people had noticed. There had been one occasion, where she had overheard the nurses talking about how much weight she had lost. It was a rarity that she actually felt truly..._hungry_.

"Did you have breakfast?" Callie asked, her voice sounding a little concerned.

Arizona half expected to feel irritated by the question — she had been when everyone else had asked her — but the concerned look on Callie's face, and the warm hand resting ever so gently on her lower back, were diminishing that irritation. "No, but. . ." she was cut off by Callie's hands gently grasping her shoulders, and turning her body to face the stacks of food in front of them.

"Okay," Callie's voice was low in the blonde's ear. "You pick something and we'll split it. How does that sound?" the Latina suggested, refusing to put any distance between her own body and the one in front of her.

It sounded _absolutely fabulous _to Arizona, whose body was practically humming with pleasure at being so close to Callie's. "Okay," she smiled softly. "But, I don't like sandwiches."

Callie grinned, even though she knew Arizona could not see. "I don't like sandwiches, either."

After a careful few minutes of thought, Arizona finally decided on a pasta salad. Callie didn't really care what they ate, she was just glad that she had managed to talk Arizona into actually _eating_. Spotting a chocolate muffin, the blonde deposited the sugary treat onto their tray, earning a raised eyebrow in response. "I haven't had chocolate in a while," she shrugged, reaching into her pocket in search of some cash, only to have Callie's hands grasp her own almost immediately.

"I'll get it," Callie offered with a grin. When she saw Arizona about to argue, she gave the blonde's hand a firm squeeze, silencing her. Feeling like a teenager on her first date, Callie picked up their tray along with two forks and a straw.

"You didn't have to buy my lunch, Calliope," Arizona said, giving the Latina a stern look. But the smile that came over her face betrayed the look. A beautiful woman was hitting on her and buying her lunch — despite her earlier thoughts, Arizona was really starting to have a _good_ day.

And it was long overdue.

Callie only smiled that megawatt smile in response; that in turn, made Arizona's dimples truly light up her face. "You can buy me a drink on Friday night."

It was a drink in a bar, with Calliope and her friends. Arizona could do that. She could put on a decent outfit and do her hair all pretty, and go have a few drinks. "I can do that," she convincingly stated. Although, she wasn't actually sure who she was trying to convince.

For the second time in the hour, Callie was shocked by the blonde's response. "Really?" she asked, trying to bite back a grin that was desperately trying to force its way onto her face.

"Really," the blonde confirmed with a smile. And then they were facing each other, smiling like idiots, whilst the occupants of the table in front of them stared at them in utter shock. Hearing faint whispers coming from over her shoulder, Arizona shifted her body to face the table, only to find several sets of intrigued eyes looking back at her. "Um, hello?"

It seemed to take several seconds before any of them realized that Arizona Robbins was actually voluntarily speaking to them. And when it did kick in, almost everyone yelled a polite greeting in the blonde's direction...a little too loudly.

"Okay," Arizona nodded awkwardly, unsure of why everyone was wearing a creepy-looking Satan grin.

"The hospital's weird," Callie whispered into the blonde's ear when they finally sat down at the end of the table. Mark had silently suggested the seat next to him — but why the hell would she sit next to Mark when she could be sitting next to Arizona, instead?

Arizona laughed, the sound surprising everyone around her. "They mean well," she said loudly enough, so that only Callie could hear. After a few minutes of everyone asking_ how she was _and _what had been going on_, the awkwardness seemed to pass — and everything felt like it was back to the way things used to be...before the crash.

Although, they had their own little personal conversation going own, Callie couldn't help but overhear the things being said around them. "Who's Matthew? Is he dating that April girl?"

Arizona had to fight to roll her eyes. The Jackson/April/Matthew drama, seemed to be hot gossip around the hospital, these days. She liked April Kepner, and she sometimes felt sorry for the resident. "I think they're still dating," the blonde said with an uneasy shrug. "But she clearly likes Jackson — it's painfully obvious."

"Painfully obvious?" Callie questioned, taking a sip from their joined soda, with their _joined_ straw.

Arizona nodded, swallowing the pasta that was in her mouth. "You know that way when people just stare at each other all the time and everyone notices it, _except_ from them?"

"Yeah," Callie replied.

"It's like that." Arizona glanced across the table, and it was no surprise when April was, indeed, staring at Jackson Avery. "Jackson's the one with the eyes," she whispered quietly.

Callie leaned in even closer. "I thought _you_ were the one with the eyes," she flirtatiously commented.

Arizona was no stranger to the _nice eyes_ compliment, and the crooked grin on Calliope's face revealed that the Latina probably already knew that. "If I had a dollar for every time I heard that," she raised her eyebrows, and took a sip of their soda.

"You might actually be able to pay for your own lunch," Callie deadpanned, her eyes sparkling up at the now-laughing blonde.

When her laughter finally ceased, Arizona straightened her face out, only a small grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "Why pay when I have pretty brunettes to pay for me?" she mischievously questioned.

"Praying on the hot foreigners to buy you food?" Callie played along, loving their easy banter. And loving the way Arizona's blue eyes seemed to have lighten up since the first time she saw her.

Arizona rolled her eyes. "Being from Miami doesn't count as foreign, Calliope," came the blonde's playful response.

"Yes it _does_," Callie scoffed in mock arrogance. "I feel like I'm walking around with a bunch of ghosts. Do you people not get any sunlight?"

"Sorry we can't all be tanned and gorgeous like you," Arizona mumbled, without a second thought. It was only when Callie's surprised gasp met her ears that Arizona realized what she had actually said.

Callie, however, took it in stride — despite the fact that her palms were now sweating under the table. "You definitely tick one of those boxes."

Before Arizona could think of a response, Jackson Avery butted in and ruined it for them both. "Dr. Torres, I was wondering if I could steal you for a consult."

Callie had to fight to grit her teeth. He was standing up, which indicated the he obviously meant right now. But she had finally softened up Arizona enough for the blonde to actually flirt back. "Of course, yeah. Now?" _Later. Later. Later._

"Yeah." Hoping there wasn't a look of sheer disappointment on her face, Callie shot the blonde an apologetic grin, before mumbling a quick _goodbye _and following after the resident.

Arizona sighed, her blue eyes trained on Callie's ass as she watched the Latina leave the cafeteria. She was positive that Calliope turned and looked back at her, but she ended up putting it down to her horny, sex-starved imagination.

Cristina's question broke her out of her daydream. "So you gonna bang the hot ortho doc?"

* * *

Peering through the small window of the x-ray room, Arizona exhaled a heavy breath when she found the person she had been searching for. Trying her best to get her breathing under control and to stop her hands from shaking, she made her way inside the room, and then locked the door behind her. "Hey, do you have a few minutes?" Her nerves were in pieces, and she was positive that Callie noticed the shakiness present in her voice.

Callie turned away from the x-ray board to face the nervous looking blonde. "I can spare a few minutes for you," she teased lightly. But the smile that was about to grace her features, was frozen in place when she saw the seriousness etched onto Arizona's face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Arizona replied curtly, venturing further into the room and over to where Calliope was standing. She handed Callie the chart that was in her hands, "This is a patients chart, from a few months ago. It, um — it caused a bit of a debate between the doctors on whether or not the patient's..." she cut herself off, struggling to get the words out. It was the first time that Arizona had even remotely talked about her leg — ever if Callie didn't actually know, that they were talking about _her_ leg. "On whether or not the patients leg had to be...cut off," she finished quietly, sadly.

Sighing, Callie accepted the chart, knowing immediately that it belonged to the blonde in front of her. Brown eyes scanned over the words the filled up the paper..._The patient was admitted one day prior to amputation, with a severely broken and infected femur. The muscle was too damaged to salvage, and amputation was decided as the best option, in hopes of saving the patient's life. The patient, however, refused the course of treatment and requested for every attempt in saving the leg to be taken._

Closing her eyes tightly, Callie fought past the urge to be sick and continued to read. _Over the next 24 hours, the patient's heart rate began to slow rapidly, and the infection began to spread. The patient began to crash, and knowing that death would be evident if the limb was not cut off immediately, __despite the patient withholding consent — the left leg was amputated. _Callie looked away, her throat heavy with emotion as her eyes skimmed over the last part. _The patients was dead for 2 minutes 27 seconds before the heart was successfully restarted. Without the decision of amputation, it was clear that the patient would have died._

Arizona was _dead. _For two minutes and twenty seven seconds, the woman in front of her...was dead. Not needing — or wanting — to read anymore of the chart, Callie closed the folder and passed it off to the side. Arizona, confused by the look on Callie's face, anxiously awaited a conclusion. "So?" the blonde began, nervously clasping her hands together. "What would you have done?"

Callie's features softened, her hand reaching out to touch the shaking blonde's, effectively stopping the pale hand from moving. "I would have cut your leg off sooner," Callie softly admitted.

Stunned by the comment, Arizona's mouth fell open. And she took a defensive step back, putting a safe distance between the two of them. Callie knew she was an amputee, and that devastated Arizona. The beauty in front of her knew she only had one leg, knew she was half the person she used to be. "I...how. . ." she stuttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "How do you know? Who told you?!" She was beginning to shake with anger.

Taking a few steps forward, Callie coaxed the blonde out of her defensive posture. "It's okay," she said softly, gently taking Arizona's hands, before leading them over to sit down. "Here." She slid a chair in front of the blonde and then slid the other one over to directly face it.

Although her mind was screaming at her to flee the room, Arizona found herself tentatively sitting down. "Who told you?" her voice was back to being dull and void of emotion — like it had been at the very start.

"I saw it on the news, months ago." Silence filled the room, Arizona looking anywhere but at Callie. Shifting forward in the chair, Callie brought Arizona's cold hands and sat them on her knees. "Your leg...it couldn't have been saved, Arizona."

Shaking her head reluctantly, Arizona harshly withdrew her hands and stood up. "It could have!" she argued, turning her back on Callie. "They should have done the surgery straight away. . ."

"Your heart couldn't take the surgery." Callie also stood up, her eyes locked on the back of Arizona's blonde hair. "Your body couldn't take the pressure of the surgery, and your leg became far too infected. Trust me, I've seen this before."

"What do you know?!" Arizona yelled harshly, finally turning around. Her blue eyes were filled with rage. "You're not even head of department! You're just a resident!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, even though she was in an absolute rage, Arizona regretted saying them.

Callie tilted her head, her gaze questioning. "You said you trusted me?"

"What?" Arizona questioned in confusion.

"You told our patient's mother, that you trusted me," Callie pointed out, beginning to take baby steps forward. "Do you?" In a few short strides, Callie was in front of the blonde again, only a foot of space between them. "Do you trust me?"

The answer was stuck in the back of her throat, and all Arizona could manage was a stiff nod. The next thing she registered, was Callie's soft hands on her forearms, the touch setting her body on fire.

"Your leg," Callie began softly, "could not have been saved." Although Arizona's deep blue eyes were shining with emotion, Callie was surprised that there were no tears present. "You would have died, Arizona. I know that you know that; you just need to try to _accept_ it."

Arizona swallowed heavily. "I don't know if I can," she painfully admitted. "It — it's my leg, you know?"

"I know." Callie let her hand drop down between them, before softly cupping the blonde's, her thumb running over the pale skin. "Is it painful...your leg?"

"Yeah," Arizona nodded, surprised that the question did not make her angry. "It's always worse if I've been all my feet all day, or if I get..." she swallowed past the well of emotions in her throat. She couldn't tell Callie — it was humiliating and embarrassing.

"Get what?" When Arizona only shook her head sadly, Callie give her hand a gentle squeeze. "You can talk to me. I'm not going to judge you or think any less of you, no matter what you tell me." Expecting to be shot down, she was shocked when Arizona remained silent, but grasped her hand and led them both back to sit down.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, Arizona glad that Callie wasn't pushing her to talk. "I get nightmares," came the blonde's deathly quiet admission. She refused to let go of Callie's hand, her own hand tightening its grip, instead. "I'm thirty years old and I have to sleep with a night-light on." Laughing bitterly, blue eyes locked on chocolate brown. "How pathetic is that?"

"It's not pathetic!" Callie tried to reaffirm, but Arizona wasn't believing a word of it. Leaning in, she tried to coax the blonde into looking at her. "It's not pathetic," she repeated firmly. "You went through something awful. You lost you your leg. You were stuck out there for...?" she trailed off, letting the question linger in the air.

"Four days," the blonde responded automatically.

Callie nodded, unable to even begin to imagine what Arizona went through. "Four days," she continued where she left off. "How is it pathetic if you have to sleep with a light on?"

Arizona looked at Callie like she was crazy, a disgusted scowl on her face. "Who's going to want to sleep in the same room with somebody who can't sleep through the night without waking up screaming, and has to have a light on?"

The force of Arizona's words cut through Callie like a knife. How could this woman have such a negative opinion about herself? Callie could hardly wrap her head around it. "Arizona. If I was lucky enough to end up with somebody like you, I don't think I'd give it a second thought if there was a light on in the bedroom."

The sincerity lurking in Callie's gorgeous dark eyes caused a heavy blush to flood the blonde's cheeks. "Callie," she laughed, nervously shaking her head.

"Did you think you were going to die?" Callie's question caused the air to become thick with tension, but she didn't take it back. She just...waited. Waited to see if the question was out of bounds.

"Every single night." Arizona looked up sadly. She thought Callie almost looked as emotional as she was feeling. "I don't remember crashing; I just remember waking up...choking on the smoke. And screaming because my leg was so painful." Talking about it, was something that Arizona never thought she would be able to do. But here she was, telling a woman she barely even knew, about the worst thing that ever happened to her.

Knowing the blonde was like timid little bird, Callie was trying to be scare her off. She knew Arizona needed to get this off her chest, and as selfish as it might have been — Callie was glad that _she_ was the person Arizona was trusting. "Did you know the people that died?"

"Barely," Arizona replied with a shake of the head. "It was an intern who I'd spoken to twice, and an anaesthesiologist. She died on impact and he died when we got back to the hospital."

Callie licked her lips, glancing down at there still-joined hands. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

A burst of laughter broke from the blonde's lips. "Me, too," she laughed in agreement. Scrunching her eyes up in confusion, Arizona leaned back in her chair, looking at Callie intently. "Wait. You've known about my leg since we first met?"

"Yeah?" Callie replied simply.

Arizona heaved out an un-shaky breath, withdrawing her hands and awkwardly running them through her blonde locks. "But — but you've been flirting with me!" she blurted out randomly.

"Oh my god. Do you have a girlfriend?" Callie asked, desperately hoping that the blonde wasn't going to drop that bombshell.

Arizona's mouth fell open, shocked by the comment. "What?! You can't just assume that I'm a lesbian!" She wasn't offended, she just wanted to know how Callie had managed to find out.

"I'm not assuming," Callie smirked confidently, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief. "You've been staring at my chest since we first met."

That shocked look quickly turned into a look of embarrassment. Denial was the best option, Arizona decided. "No I haven't!"

"Oooh." Callie shook her head distastefully. "Nobody likes a liar in these situations. At least have the guts to just admit it." The flustered look on the blonde's face was too adorable to ignore. And Callie couldn't resist teasing her just a little bit more. "I stare at your ass," she admitted with a shrug. "Look at that: admitting it and not ashamed." She sat back in her chair confidently, knowing that she was in control of what was going on.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Arizona laughed incredulously.

Callie grinned. "What?"

"Flirting with me." The grin on Callie's face told Arizona all she needed to know. She was not crazy, and for the past two days, Calliope Torres _had_ been hitting on her.

"You're hot," Callie deadpanned. "You're single. You clearly like staring at my chest." She was enjoying this...the light hearted flirting between them. "Why would I not flirt with you?"

"Because I only have one leg!" Arizona blurted out loudly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Callie, however, did not have a clue what was going on. "I don't understand." She shifted awkwardly in her chair, looking at the blonde like she was speaking in a different language. "What does your leg have to do with me flirting with you?"

Arizona was trying. She was really, really trying to understand where Calliope was coming from — but she was coming up empty. "Why are you flirting with me if you know I only have one leg?"

"You think that I'm the type of person that wouldn't find someone attractive because they lost their leg?" Callie asked, raising a challenging eyebrow. "I'm offended at that, I really am." She was faking mock offence. And Arizona was looking like she was believing it.

"I don't. . ."

Sliding her chair forward, Callie let her legs rest to the outside of the blonde's, the movement causing a heavy exhale of breath to fall from Arizona's mouth. "I think you're beautiful," she earnestly admitted, dropping her lands to either side of the chair, effectively locking Arizona in place. "And I think that if you think losing a leg makes you less beautiful, then you're crazy."

Gazing deep into Callie's deep, expressive eyes, Arizona couldn't help but begin to actually _believe_ the statement. Her heart was threatening to combust in her chest. Seeing Callie's gaze flicker down to her lips, Arizona leaned in a fraction, silently telling herself that she could do this. Callie was looking at her like she wanted her, and she wanted Callie.

Licking her lips slightly, Callie kept her eyes on the darkening blue ones that were now inches from her own face. Arizona rested her palms on Callie's scrub-clad knees, bringing their faces within inches of each other. They could feel their breath mingling as they hovered their lips over the other, not yet touching. With one last look of questioning, both sets of eyes fluttered closed, their lips ghosting over the other and then...

"Dr. Torres," Jackson called out as he entered through the door. His nose was buried in his phone and he didn't notice the two women spring apart. "The patient's ready whenever you are." When Callie nodded at him in thanks, he left the room without saying anything else.

Steadying her breathing, silently cursing _Jackson Avery_, Callie hastily stood up from her chair. Chancing a glance at the blonde, it was no surprise to Callie that Arizona's hands were firmly crossed over her chest, her gaze on the floor; that defensive posture was back in full flow. "I should go," the Latina sighed out, sounding disappointed.

Arizona gave a small wave, refusing to look up from the floor. "Sure," came the throaty response.

Knowing that was as good as she was going to get, Callie dropped her head and began to walk towards the door. Only to turn around a few seconds later and make her way back to where she just came from. Arizona, still looking at the floor, was startled when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. And then, the softest pair of lips she had ever felt, leaned in from behind, and softly placed a kiss to her right cheek. The smell of raspberry and vanilla shampoo invaded Callie's senses, and it took everything in her power to walk away from the gorgeous blonde and back towards the door.

It was only a simple kiss on the cheek, something that people did every day, but Arizona could not find words to describe just how good Calliope's lips felt. She had suddenly found a new hatred for Jackson Avery. "Hey," she called out, finally finding the strength to turn around. Callie only smiled in return, almost looking timid and shy — Arizona couldn't take her eyes off her. "What OR are you in?"

Callie smiled, completely entranced by Arizona's shining blue eyes. "OR 4. You gonna come watch?" she asked, her tone hopeful.

"Yeah," Arizona replied softly, letting her dimples light up her face.

Callie grinned in return. She was positive that smile was enough to solve all the world's problems. "Great."

And then Callie was gone. Arizona, letting the events catch up on her, leaned her head back on the chair, breathing heavily. Callie had called her beautiful. And then they had almost kissed. It was far too much for her. She survived a damn plane crash, and yet, she was left wondering how the hell she was going to survive another day with Calliope Torres.

* * *

**Two updates in two days...I'm shocked, too. I know Mark and Lexie died in the plane crash, and even though this is only a short story — I still couldn't bring myself to kill either of them off. I always had a soft spot for Addison and Alex together. I really thought they were going to go somewhere with that in the earlier seasons, so I've wrote it in this story...just incase anyone was wondering why. Also, I know the medical stuff is miles off, but I have the attention span of a door and can't bring myself to find out real medical facts — just role with it people, pretty please.**

**Hope you're enjoying it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters y'all.**

* * *

With a frown on her face, and a sigh filled with heavy disappointment leaving her lips, Callie heaved open the door that lead her into the scrub room of OR 1. And that frown only increased when she saw that the blonde she had been searching for, was no where to be seen. Instead, Alex Karev was staring back at her, and even though she had only seen the young resident a few times, she had quickly learned that the pissed off look on his face was ever present.

Offering up the politest smile she could manage, despite not being in the best mood, Callie greeted him with a quiet, "Hey," and then began the rigorous duty of scrubbing in. She didn't bother saying anything else when she heard, what could only be described as a grunt in response.

Glancing at her watch, the confusion — and worry — began to grow when Callie noticed it was only seven minutes until their surgery was about to start. Even though she did not know Arizona Robbins that well — at all, actually — it was beyond clear, after spending only a few minutes with the blonde, that she was a blatant control freak.

And that's what was beginning to cause alarm to Callie — the fact that a major surgery was due to begin in seven minutes, and one of the lead surgeons was no where to be seen. Or had not been seen all morning. Well, _Callie_ had not seen the blonde all morning; two hours, to be exact.

After their _moment _in the x-ray room, last night, Callie had entered the hospital at 9am, with a smile on her face, and two cups of coffee in hand. And that smile only got bigger as she rode the elevator up to Arizona's office — but the blonde was not present. So that coffee had ran cold and that smile had slowly began to decipher into a disappointed frown.

"Where the hell is Robbins?" Alex broke the silence, sounding as enthusiastic as ever. "She's never late!"

Worry quickly encased Callie's entire being before she even knew what was happening. "You haven't seen her, this morning?" Trying to think realistically, Callie knew there were probably _tons_ of reasons why Arizona had not been seen. She was just having trouble trying to focus on anything other than the worrying feeling.

Alex shook his head. "No. You?"

With a negative shake of her own head, Callie contemplated going to the nearest nurses station and having someone page the blonde. Chewing her lip in contemplation, she decided to way till Arizona was _actually_ late before doing anything. "No," she dully replied, unable to keep the concern out of her voice.

"You don't think she's. . ." Alex started to say, but then gave a shake of the head and halted his unfinished question.

"What?!" Callie snapped, but did not sound angry. She turned her body to face the resident, looking at him questioningly, continuing to wash her hands. "Think she's _what_?" The look on his face, the tone of his voice, the way he refused to repeat the question and only looked away...Callie didn't like it.

Harshly grabbing the dry towel from where it was resting next to the sink, Alex gave a half hearted shrug. "Nothing," he mumbled out. "She's probably finding someone else to do this surgery because she can't stand to be in the same room as me."

Feeling uncomfortable because someone she barely even knew was no looking at her with big, sad puppy dog eyes, Callie sighed sadly. "I highly doubt that's what she's doing," came the not-so reassuring response.

"Probably is," Alex grunted out, scowling. "She hates me."

The devastation in his voice was so abundantly clear. And Callie wished Addison was here to overhear this _unemotional resident,_ right now."She doesn't hate you, Alex." She was positive of that fact — because she was also positive that Arizona Robbins was not capable of hating anyone.

"She barely even talks to me, anymore," he honestly admitted, the look on his face mirroring that of a child who had just lost its puppy. "She was dead! I did what I had to do, to save her life — why won't she understand that?!"

Not knowing if the question was rhetorical or if he was actually asking her, Callie gave a shrug of her shoulders, her big brown eyes filling with emotion. "She will understand. You just need to give her some time."

Alex did not look at all convinced. "But I — what if she doesn't ever forgive me?"

"She will!" Callie insisted, only to have Alex immediately shake his head in denial. "Hey," she softly said, wanting to offer him a comforting hand but not wanting to have to re-scrub. "She will forgive you. I deal with these kind of things all the time with patients. Trust me when I say that she does not hate you, Alex; she's just having a hard time adjusting to this."

Changing the subject completely, Alex asked, "Do you know her?"

Slightly taken aback by the random question, Callie struggled to find an answer for a few seconds, effectively resulting in her stuttering like an idiot. "I — No. Why?"

"You seem to know her pretty well?" Alex commented slyly.

And Callie was positive she could detect the hint of smugness in his voice. It was only confirmed when she looked at him and he was wearing a challenging smirk, almost identical to the one she was used to gracing Mark's features. "What are you saying?" she challenged, an eyebrow arching up.

"I'm saying, my boss hasn't so much as smiled in five months, then, suddenly, you rock up and she's back to looking like a kid at Christmas." Alex's smirk grew as an evident blush grew over the Latina's face.

"Really?" Callie blurted out, a little too eagerly, immediately earning a judging grimace to be sent her way. "I mean, whatever," she shrugged nonchalantly. Opening her mouth to quickly retort, she quickly closed it again when the scrub room door was thrown open, followed by an angry looking Arizona entering. "Hi," she greeted softly, nerves swirling in the pit of her stomach for an unknown reason.

Arizona dimly registered Alex sending her an awkward wave of the hand before leaving the scrub room and making his way inside the OR. Not in the mood to talk, she grunted out a quiet, "Hey," before quickly tying her scrub cap over her head, carefully sweeping her blonde hair behind her ears.

Brown eyes were instantly glued to Arizona's left leg, the limp the blonde was carrying immediately gaining her attention. Filled with worry, Callie took a small step forward and touched a hand to the blonde's forearm. "Are you okay?"

Flinching at the soft hand, and then shrugging it off, Arizona turned her body in the opposition direction, away from Callie's. "Fine," she said sharply, moving to lean her whole weight on her right leg.

Feeling her face fall at Arizona's cold and distant tone, Callie forced herself to take a step backwards, not wanting the obviously agitated blonde to feel smothered. "I um — I brought you coffee, this morning, but you weren't in your office?" She tried to keep it as a barely there question, but that worried tint in her voice was still there.

Feeling irritated, even thought she knew Callie was only being nice, Arizona set her jaw and roughly grabbed a towel. "I didn't come in until just now," came the distant, uninterested response.

Despite feeling alarmingly comfortable around Calliope and talking with her, Arizona didn't want to divulge into the reason as to why she was late. Last night, after watching Callie's surgery and feeling like a teenager with a crush, Arizona had returned home in the best mood she had been in for a long time. Only to be awoken only three hours later drenched in sweat, clutching her seizing chest, her leg throbbing in agony.

And the dull ache in her residual limb had been present ever since. Normally, if Arizona knew her leg was going to end up in pain — like she did, right now — she would simply stay off her feet until the pain dimmed. But today was the surgery that she had been planning for months, and there was no way she could cancel.

Not even the strongest painkillers had taken the pain off. And just thinking about standing for at least six hours, was making her feel worse than she already did. Gritting her teeth as another wave of pain shot straight to her thigh, Arizona braced forward, her hands digging into the sides of the sink.

"Arizona," Callie sighed out sadly, moving forward.

Not giving Callie the chance to touch her or say anything else, Arizona shot upright, plastering a forced smile on her face. "You ready?" But she didn't wait for an answer, only brushing past the Latina's shoulder, forcing herself not to stop and find the comfort that she just _knew_ Calliope could bring her.

Around four hours later, Arizona took a barely there step back from the surgical table, watching on as Callie drilled through the final piece of bone in the patient's leg. The sound of the bone saw sent shivers up her spine. And knowing the same instrument Callie was holding, was the same piece of metal that drilled through her own leg, only five months ago...she couldn't even explain the feeling that gave her.

Strangely enough, even thought she was a surgeon and often dealt with emergencies, Arizona had not been in the operating room with the sound of a bone saw ringing in her ears, in a long time. Having had two good days in a row, the blonde had convinced herself that the experience she was currently in, would not be that bad. But then she'd had an awful night, with only three hours sleep — and she was struggling not to cover her hands over her ears and walk out.

"Okay," Callie said, letting the bone saw turn off, much to Arizona's relief. "Cadaver bones. Please."

Eight months had built up to this moment, a moment where the child's bones were about to be replaced with that of a cadaver. And in approximately one hours time, they would know if the patient had to lose his leg.

Forcing herself back to the table, Arizona watched on, mesmerised, as Callie's hands moved effortlessly in removing the wasted bone before replacing it with a brand new cadaver.

"Okay." Callie took a step back, stretching her legs out, immediately feeling relieved as the muscles began to stretch. Stepping back to the table, brown eyes glanced up, meeting the tired blue ones of the deathly quiet blonde. Save for talking when absolute necessary, they had been zero-to-no words exchanged between herself, Arizona, and Alex during the surgery. "Can I get two milliamps of simulation," she requested.

Everyone in the room, and the viewers in the gallery, watched of with bated breath, waiting for the child's leg to move. After several seconds of nothing but complete stillness of the limb, it was clear that the leg was not going to move.

Arizona gave a disappointed shake of the head, discreetly letting her hand drop to try and relieve some of the pressure on her aching leg. Her leg felt like it was on fire, and she was positive, even though she could not see, that her leg had turned red from rubbing against her prosthetic and was becoming increasingly inflamed. "Give us three milliamps. Please," she asked through gritted teeth.

Again...nothing.

Brown eyes clashed with blue, and even though the surgical masks were covering their faces, both could sense the look of worry on the other face. "Four milliamps," Callie said, frustration creeping into her voice.

It was a tiny twitch, the smallest of movements, but after several seconds of nothing — Marcus' leg finally moved. And they gallery erupted into applause. The spark in Callie's eyes was enough to dim Arizona's pain, even if only for a minute or two.

"Congratulations, Dr. Robbins," Callie beamed, grinning beneath her surgical mask.

Managing a small smile, Arizona felt a flutter, low in her chest. "You, too, Dr. Torres."

Over an hour later, with beads of sweat now running down her forehead, Arizona felt her left leg beginning to give out. Her body was slowly starting to shake, and she realized that she would most likely collapse if she stood any longer. Why did it have to happen during this surgery, with Calliope standing right across from her?

Sensing Arizona's demeanour dramatically change, Callie stopped stitching the patient's leg and looked up. Although she could only see half of the blonde's face, Callie could tell that Arizona was pale and sweating. "Dr. Robbins. Do you need a sec?"

Arizona bit her lip to stifle the pain. "I think — I have some things that I need to be doing." She backed away from the table, giving Alex a slight nudge on his shoulder. "Karev, close up for me."

Callie looked on in alarm, watching as Arizona took hesitant steps away from the table. "Are you okay? Do you need..." But there wasn't any point in finishing her sentence, becasuse Arizona was already at the door — and she wasn't looking back.

* * *

With one hand covering her eyes, and the other firmly grasping her left thigh, Arizona willed herself to try and find the energy to stand up. She was embarrassed and tired and in pain. And she didn't think she had the energy to get up and walk the short distance across the street, to go home.

Hearing the door open, the blonde bit her tongue, waiting until the person offered up a greeting before she unleashed. Somehow just _knowing_ it was Callie, Arizona tiredly let her hand fall from her face and onto the pillow next to her head. "Karev close up okay?" Her voice was husky in that way that it normally was when she was extremely tired, or had just woken up. Or had just had sex.

Finding messy haired Arizona far too adorable, Callie hesitantly ventured further into the on-call room. "He did." Although she knew that there was a high chance of being kicked out of the room, Callie could not help but perch herself on the side of the small bed. "He's good," she admitted with a small smile.

Feeling Callie's body far too close to her left leg, Arizona heaved herself upward, shifting uncomfortably across the bed to sit at Callie's side. The position was not any better for her leg, but she did not want Callie to be anywhere near her it. "Of course he is; I taught him." Her face was tinted with a small smile, though her dimples did not touch her cheeks.

"Clearly," Callie played along. There was about a minute of silence, in which the blonde refused to look up from the floor. And Callie knew she was biting back tears. "Do you want me to take a look...at your leg?"

"No!" Arizona adamantly stated, vigorously shaking her head. She was appalled at how Callie could actually want to be _near_ her leg, let alone touch it.

Callie sighed sadly. Seeing Arizona in pain, was actually hurting her. "I'm an orthopedic surgeon." She tried to meet the blonde's blue eyes, but that gorgeous face was still ducked, eyes sad. "I deal with residual limbs every day, Arizona," she insisted gently, lightly touching the blonde's arm.

"I know you do." Blue eyes blinked rapidly, desperately trying to get rid of the hint of tears that were now beginning to form. "But you can't — I can't have you see _mine_," Arizona pleaded sadly.

Callie scooted over closer, her hand resting softly on Arizona's scrub-clad back. "What do you mean?"

"Because." Clenching her eyes shut in a mixture of pain and sadness, Arizona shakily brought her hand up to get rid of the tears pricking in the corners of her eyes. "Because you...you've been flirting with me, and I know that as soon as you..." the slight crack in her voice forced her to stop and take a breath before continuing. "As soon as you get a look at my leg, you're going to stop flirting with me. And you're gonna stop looking at me like you find me attractive."

Too shocked to find words to respond to _that_, Callie only gaped at the blonde, her mouth slightly parted. But Arizona went on before the Latina could get a word in. "I don't want you to stop flirting with me, Callie," Arizona painfully admitted, finally turning her body, her eyes locking on Callie's expressive brown. "I — you make me feel like I'm normal. Like I'm me, again; not some freak with one leg!"

"Don't say things like that!" Callie cut in sternly, wrapping her arm tightly around the blonde's slim waist. "You're not some freak with one leg." Arizona dropped her head, looking like she had gave up all hope. And Callie was sure that she had never felt pain like she was feeling, right now. Her heart was constricting, tight in her chest, making for an unbearable feeling Callie had never felt before. "I'm not going to stop flirting with you," Callie said, almost cheekily, the comment earning a ghost of a smile to form on Arizona's lips. "And I _promise_ you, hand on my heart, I am _not_ going to stop finding you attractive."

Those dark, expressive eyes could reveal everything Calliope was feeling, with just one simple look, Arizona was quickly realizing. It would be so easy to believe Callie, but that feeling...that dark, twisting feeling of knots in Arizona's stomach was winning the race against Callie's softly spoken words.

"How bad is the pain?" Callie asked carefully. The new wave of tears in the blonde's eyes told her everything she needed to know. This was heart-breaking. Watching Arizona in such physical and emotional pain, was heart-breaking.

"It's just _there_, all the time." Arizona stifled another groan. The prosthetic would have to come off soon; she couldn't take this pain much longer. "You can go, Calliope. I'm just gonna sit here till I feel a little better."

Dislodging her arm from around Arizona's waist, and instead of moving off the bed, Callie sat impossibly closer, gently taking Arizona's hand into her own, letting their fingers automatically entwine. Arizona felt herself glance down to look at their hands, just seeing Callie's hand wrapped around her own was giving her goosebumps. "What — what are you doing?" the blonde asked in shock.

For a second, Callie thought the warm hand was going to be ripped away, but the grip on her own only tightened. "I'm sitting with you, until you feel better."

And then there was silence; the comfortable kind. All that could be heard was the voices from outside the door, and Arizona occasionally sighing in pain. After ten minutes of nothing, Arizona lifted their hands, bringing them off Callie's lap and into the small space between their bodies. Maybe it was the pain. Or maybe it was that Calliope Torres made her feel safe, in a way that nobody else ever had. Arizona didn't really know what it was.

But the next thing Arizona knew, she was lifting their hands, deathly slowly — and laying them on top of her left leg. Laying her head gently on Callie's shoulder, Arizona let the tears silently run down her face. "Please make it go away, Calliope," Arizona all but begged, her voice raw and vulnerable.

The plea hit Callie like a thousand knives going through her chest. Not wanting to disentangle herself from Arizona's body, but physically not being able to hear such pain in the blonde's voice, Callie stood up off the bed. And then, she outstretched both of her hands, quietly whispering, "Give me your hands."

Finally, after months of feeling like she was dying inside — Arizona let someone help her. Letting Callie guide her to her feet, she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from groaning in pain. "Now, what?"

Callie swallowed thickly, silently reminding herself to be professional, despite the fact of what she was about to ask Arizona. "Can you take off your pants. Please?"

It was expected, but the question still caused Arizona to feel physically sick with nerves. "Be more blunt," she mumbled sarcastically, slowly dragging her hands from her sides, to the drawstrings of her scrub pants.

"I'm trying to think like a doctor." And not like a person who was about to see the most stunning woman she had ever laid eyes on half naked. Forcing her eyes to remain on Arizona's face, she gave the blonde a small, encouraging smile.

"I don't want you to be a doctor," the blonde revealed. Her hands were frozen in place, refusing to let her pants fall down her legs. "Just be Callie."

"Fine." Callie took a step forward, bringing their bodies flush together, and she let her hands go to the top of Arizona's pants, covering pale hands. "I've got you," she whispered gently.

They let their hands brush together for a few seconds, before Arizona managed a stiff nod. Then Callie's hands were loosely undoing the knot in her pants. And despite feeling terrified, the first brush of Callie's soft hands on the skin of her abdomen, made her stomach do a flip, the touch being felt all over her body. With those chocolate orbs boring into her own, Arizona shimmied to the side a few times, letting her scrubs fall around her ankles.

But as soon as Calliope's eyes glanced even a fraction downwards, Arizona panicked. _Really_ panicked. "No! No!" She forcefully grabbed Callie's face, forcing the Latina to look at her face, and not at her disgusting residual limb. "Please don't look at it, Callie!" she choked out sadly, her hands gripping fiercely at the tanned face in front of her. "Please don't look! I don't want you to see me like this!"

Callie's hands overpowered the blonde's, harshly pulling the quivering body into her own. "I've got you," she coaxed softly, repeating the words over and over, until she felt the blonde's body begin to settle. "Look at me." When Arizona only ducked her head, Callie lifted her fingers under her chin. "Look at me," she commanded softly, but firmly. Hesitant, teary blue eyes slowly looked up, the look on Arizona's face enough to bring Callie to tears. "I've got you, Arizona. And you can trust me. Let me prove to you that you can trust me."

Obtaining a death grip on Callie's warm hands, Arizona clenched her eyes shut, not knowing how she managed a nod. The next thing Arizona registered, she was being led by Callie's soft touch to sit on the bed, the brunette kneeling tall in-between her legs. They were almost eye-level, the blonde noticed, gasping slightly when she felt Calliope's hand on the top of her right thigh.

"You can look," Callie broke the silence, unable to resist the urge of running her thumbs over the blonde's leg. The fact that one leg was plastic, was the last thing that Callie noticed — the fact that she had Arizona Robbins half naked seemed to be the only thing on her mind.

"I can't," Arizona said, continuing to look at the floor. After a lengthy pause, she finally forced herself to take a glance down, the first thing she noticed was that Callie's tanned skin seemed to clash perfectly with her own. The second was that Callie's hand, the one on her prosthetic, was moving in the exact same motions as the hand that was on her right leg. "How can you touch it and not feel disgusted?"

Dark eyebrows drew together in confusion, Callie's hands moving to the top of the prosthetic, mechanically moving over the Velcro straps, before slipping the prosthetic off. Arizona groaned in relief at the cold plastic being removed, her hand immediately went to her left thigh, trying to soothe the stinging. Soon, Callie's hand was covering her own, the touch relieving in so many ways.

"Why would I feel disgusted about touching you?" Callie's hands began to strategically kneed and massage the tight muscle of the blonde's thigh. "I've got you on a bed, with my hands all over your glorious half naked body. Why would I _ever_ complain about such a thing?" She was teasing, yet completely serious at the same time.

Arizona let out a low laugh, letting her head roll back as Callie's hands moved to hit all the right spots. The self consciousness had faded dramatically, and in its place, was a brand new, overpowering feeling.

_Arousal _

Her leg was still painful, but the sight of Calliope Torres in-between her legs, moving those godly hands so close to where Arizona had dreamed — _literally dreamed_ — of her touching, was overpowering every single feeling in her entire body. And the fact that Calliope didn't, at all, seem bothered by her leg, was only turning Arizona on even more.

She had gone from crying wreck, to sex-hungry animal in the space of about ninety seconds. "Your hands are really warm," the blonde commented simply.

Callie smiled, blinking at Arizona from under her lashes. "That feel okay?" She didn't need verbal confirmation; the low groans coming from the blonde's mouth were completely giving Arizona away. Not that Callie was complaining.

Fighting not to let her entire body collapse onto the bed below her, Arizona forced herself to stay upright. "Yeah," she sighed out happily. Just three days ago, Arizona was sure that no other person would ever see her leg. And now, she was alone in an on-call room, with a gorgeous woman she barely even knew — and said woman was massaging her leg. How it had even managed to happen Arizona had no idea. "I could, um, — I could give you a massage, too?"

Callie laughed huskily, but couldn't stop herself from imagining _that_ actually happening. "Please," the Latina scoffed mockingly. "With your girly hands? Forget it."

Arizona managed a real _Arizona_ laugh. "How do you know I have girly hands?"

"The pretty ones always have girly hands," Callie replied in a heartbeat. She had meant to it to be light and teasing, but as soon as those baby blues locked on chocolate brown, the air was thick with tension. "You're still coming out, tomorrow night. Right?" she blurted out unexpectedly. Arizona only raised an eyebrow at her causing Callie to begin to blush. "It's just, this is the last time I'll see you, if you don't come out. And I really don't want this to be the last time I see you."

It was almost frightening the way Callie Torres was capable of rendering her speechless. "You don't?" came the blonde's hopeful question.

"I'd actually like to see you out of these scrubs," Callie smiled. Then she really what she had _actually_ said, and her face began to turn even redder. Her left hand flew to her head as she groaned, although her right hand stayed glued to Arizona's thigh. "Oh god, I'm sorry. I meant out of the _hospital_. You know, having a conversation when we're not wearing scrubs?"

"Are you always such a Romeo?" Arizona teased, light laughter now making its way out.

"You're half naked right in front of me! What do you expect?" Callie had done so well to _not_ look, but here eye betrayed her and glanced between the blonde's legs, the tiny hint of pink lace barely visible. It was still enough to make her mouth run dry, and cause an ache between her own legs.

Arizona was really starting to believe that Callie Torres did, in fact, find her attractive. Letting her features soften a little, she smiled genuinely. "I'll come out, Callie. I wanna see you before you leave, too," she admitted, surprising them both with the confidence that was present in her voice. "And maybe actually have a conversation with you when I'm not crying."

Callie laughed, that signature grin lighting up her face. Leaning up higher on her knees, she reverently brushed some of that soft hair away from Arizona's face. "You're gorgeous either way, so I don't think it really matters."

So consumed with the fact that her heart was beating so damn fast, Arizona failed to notice that Callie's hand was still intimately resting upon her left thigh. "My leg — it really doesn't bother you?" She dreaded the answer as soon as the question left her lips.

"No, Arizona," Callie answered softly. "You're amazing. And kind and sweet and funny." Their hands were joined before either had a chance to realize it. "And you are beautiful. _So, so,_ beautiful," she stressed, needing Arizona to believe it. "And anybody that doesn't want to be with you because of your leg, then that's their lose."

Feeling like an emotional wreck all over again, Arizona's dimples managed to shine through. "How is somebody as perfect as Calliope Torres even single?" And even thought she was laughing, Arizona desperately wanted to know the answer. Because this woman was a gift sent from the gods.

"So that she can give extremely hot blonde's sexy massages in on-call rooms." Callie grinned in return, her hand beginning to lightly scratch up and down Arizona's thigh.

Arizona gave Callie's hand a firm squeeze, fighting back the emotion she knew could spill over at any second. "Thank you, Callie," she earnestly stated.

Callie gently cupped the blonde's cheek, her thumb running over the smooth skin. "Any time," Callie replied with a soft smile.

* * *

"You need to stop staring at the door?" Addison shook her head in amusement. "You've been doing it since we got here and you need to stop."

"I'm not. I'm just, I'm..." but Callie didn't have the time to think and make up a lie, because the red head was already thoroughly rolling her eyes, and laughing. Discreetly checking her watch — for, at least, the two-hundredth time since she arrived — she tried not to sigh aloud when she saw that it was nearing 8:30pm. Everyone else had got here around 7:30, Callie included, and ever since stepping into Joes bar, she had been anxiously awaiting the sight of a head of blonde hair entering through the doorway.

But, so far...nothing.

And knowing that Arizona hadn't been called into work only made things worse. Callie was beginning to get the feeling that the blonde had bailed. And that kind of devastated her, because today was her last day working at Seattle Grace, and even thought she technically didn't fly home until Monday afternoon — the chances of seeing Arizona again were slim to none. She didn't have a phone number. She had nothing.

Addison only stared at her friend. "You know, one of the nurses, Amy, was asking if you were single. She's right over there." She pointed to the dart board, where a petite dirty-blonde was standing with a few other people.

Callie didn't even bother looking. She was in no mood to be talking with women, unless that woman was Arizona Robbins. "Yeah, no thanks," she mumbled distractedly.

"Callie," Addison began with a sigh, laying a gentle hand on her friend's arm, forcing the brunette to focus on her. "Arizona isn't going to come."

By now, Callie didn't see the point in arguing, or lying, about the fact that she was waiting for the Peds surgeon. "She will." She just had a feeling of hope about Arizona coming tonight — especially after what had been happening with them, in the past few days. Moment after moment of sexual tension and flirting, and that almost kiss...Callie shuddered just thinking about what it would feel like to have those pink lips pressing against her own.

"Do you...like her?" Addison asked tentatively, already dreading the answer.

It took someone actually _asking_ her for Callie to realise it. She did like Arizona — _a lot_. The blonde had constantly been on her thoughts since that first meeting, and no matter how hard she tried — Callie could not stop thinking about Arizona Robbins. "What? No! I just — she's nice, and funny, and we get along well. No big deal," she brushed it off with a shrug.

But Addison wasn't buying a word of it. "Really?" The red head raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Because I've been friends with you for years, and I've never saw you with that look on your face."

Hearing the chime of the door, Callie glanced upwards in hope, her heart completely seizing in her chest when she was Arizona standing in the doorway. And god, did she look gorgeous. A trendy black jacket was worn over a tight fitting blue top, dark skinny jeans were tucked into knee high boots, that Callie swore she had never seen being pulled off in the way that Arizona was wearing them. But it was her hair that really caught Callie's attention. The long, blonde locks from earlier today had been cut dramatically, and in their place was shoulder length blonde hair, curled softly and resting on her shoulders.

Addison followed her friend's line of sight, looking unsurprised at who was standing in the doorway. "Yeah, that look," she nodded, and then slapped Callie's arm to get her attention. "Stop staring at her; you're making it too obvious."

Blue eyes flickered around the bar, hands twitching nervously at the blonde's side as Arizona continued to look for a dark brunette head standing out. Spotting Addison, she caught a glimpse of the person she was looking for, but before she could make eye contact, Teddy was right in front of her face.

"Hey, buddy," Teddy slurred, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "I've missed you."

Arizona had to fight to roll her eyes. But she hugged the woman back, nonetheless. "Are you drunk, already?" the blonde asked, pulling back from the hug.

"Yeah." Teddy smiled lazily, taking a long sip from the beverage in her hand. "The hot brunette's been waiting for you, all night. You're welcome." She attempted a casual wink, but in her inebriated state it looked more like a twitch.

"How do you know?" Arizona inquired, not caring if she sounded too eager. She couldn't look round the side of Teddy's head without making it obvious that she was looking for Calliope.

"She's been looking at the door every thirty seconds," Teddy declared in a hushed, over exaggerated whisper. "What's going on with you and her?"

Arizona shrugged softly, her hands playing with the bottom of her jacket. "Nothing. Why?"

Teddy just heaved a sigh in response. "Look, Arizona. I'm your best friend — or _was_ your best friend. Whatever." She looked away sadly, refusing the meet questioning blue eyes. "You've been walking around like a zombie for months, and then, suddenly, some hot woman rocks up and you're back to looking like a supermodel."

"Slight exaggeration," Arizona mumbled under her breath. This was the longest conversation she'd had with Teddy in months. "We've just been flirting; it doesn't mean anything." The words caused a wave of sadness to wash over her, because she desperately _wanted_ flirting with Callie to mean something.

"Just have some fun with her!" Teddy all but yelled, earning a stern look from Miranda Bailey being sent her way. "You're obviously attracted to her. And she's obviously attracted to you. Have some fun; you deserve it. Go corner her in the bathroom and stick your tongue down her throat."

Arizona couldn't help but laugh, unaware that the sound caused Callie to glance over at them. "I don't think that's quite how it works." As much as she wanted it to happen, Arizona didn't think her tongue would be down Calliope's throat any time soon; she knew tonight was the last night she would be seeing the Latina. The thought made her sadder than what it probably should have.

"Who cares?" Teddy blurted out, dramatically waving her hands around. "As much as I want to hang out with you tonight, I'm willing to give you up for your hot brunette." She adorned a proud smile, like she was solving all the world's problems. "Enjoy it."

"You're whoring me out?" The blonde's lips managed to curve upwards into a small smile.

"Yes!" Teddy nodded emphatically. "But promise we'll hang out, soon?"

Immediately sensing the vulnerability in the question, Arizona nodded softly. "I promise," she confirmed with a smile.

Teddy managed one in return. "Okay. I'll leave you with your hottie." She gave her friend one final smothering hug before stumbling back to her table.

Shaking her head in amusement as she watched her friend make her way across the bar, Arizona finally looked up, her eyes locking with the chocolate brown of Calliope's. They held an intense stare for a few seconds before Arizona noticed what the brunette was wearing. Dear god, why hadn't Teddy gave her a pre-warning? Long, toned, caramel legs were on full display, and a black, figure hugging dress was wrapped tightly around Callie, showing off every single gorgeous curve of the woman's body.

Letting out a deep breath, Arizona silently reminded herself that she could do this, and she began to make her way over to the corner of the bar where Addison and Calliope were standing.

Feeling her heart rate increase at the sight of the blonde walking towards them, Callie cut Addison off mid-sentence. "You need to walk away," she instructed, her hands subconsciously straightening out the bottom of her dress.

"Why?" Addison grumbled in annoyance.

"Go find Karev," Callie hissed quietly. She stood up straight, giving the blonde that was now stood behind them a dazzling smile. "Hey," she greeted nervously.

"Hey," Arizona said softly in return.

Addison looked between them both, chewing her lip awkwardly. "Hey," she acknowledged the blonde loudly, clearly trying to break up the staring. "Wow. You look hot!"

Arizona gave a nervous laugh. It was proving increasingly difficult to accept a compliment, these days — even if it was from her straight friend. "Hey, Addison."

"Well, I'm gonna go," the red head announced, offering them both a small smile before disappearing over to where the rest of the doctors were sitting.

Callie couldn't help but slowly reach out and let her hand softly touch those blonde curls. "You cut your hair," she said dumbly. And then trailed her hand down the blonde's arm before letting it fall back to her own side. "It's pretty."

"Well, technically, the hairdresser cut my hair." Arizona offered up a teasing smile.

"Smart ass," Callie commented back playfully, turning towards the bar. "So, you gonna buy me that drink you promised me?"

Arizona laughed, her body mirroring Callie's position and leaning on the bar. "You mean that drink you promised yourself?" Callie grinned cheekily in return, and reached into her pocket, but the blonde gently grasped her wrist. "I'm kidding," she smiled from under her lashes. "Let me buy you a drink, Calliope."

"I was only joking," Callie stammered out nervously.

"Relax," Arizona chastised softly, again finding herself touching the Latina. "What do you want?"

The answers to that question could be never ending, Callie thought to herself, a smirk turning up her lips. "Red wine. Please." As Callie watched the blonde interact with Joe, she couldn't help but notice how relaxed and at ease she seemed.

Soon, after several greetings being sent to the blonde, they were both sat at the end of the busy table, tucked away in the corner. "It's nice to see you out of those scrubs," Arizona repeated Callie's words from yesterday, taking a sip from her white wine.

Callie laughed, turning her body away from the rest of the table, so that she was now sitting sideways, facing Arizona. "Not my finest moment."

Arizona couldn't seem to keep the smile off her face. "You look great out of those scrubs, though." Much to her surprise, there was not blush adorning her cheeks or nervousness present in her voice; she was feeling very like herself, today. "I, um — I had a conversation with the Chief, earlier...about you."

"About what?" It was hard to focus on the Chief when Arizona Robbins was wearing that perfect little smile and telling her that she looked good.

"He was asking me what I though about you, because we worked together," Arizona revealed. She shifted her body a little closer to Callie's, not wanting anyone overhearing them and starting any gossip. "He said that our Head of Ortho, Dr. Garrity, is retiring within the next ten months."

Callie was torn between feeling nervous and excited. "What did you tell him?" she eagerly asked.

"I told him that he'd be an idiot if he didn't offer you the job," Arizona admitted quietly, her eyes were unable to look away from Callie's cleavage now that the brunette was facing her — it was like someone was holding candy directly in front of her face and taunting her with it. "Would you take the job...if the Chief offered you it?" She tried not to sound too hopeful as she asked.

It was bad, Callie knew that, but she couldn't help but think that Arizona sounded like she _wanted_ her to stay in Seattle. Her thoughts were getting far too ahead of themselves, in the worst way possible. "If I didn't already have a Head of Department job, then yeah. Of course I'd take it."

Fighting the urge to smile, Arizona managed a neutral nod. "You could see Mark and Addison as much as you wanted."

"That's not the reason I'd take the job, Arizona." Brown eyes locked on blue, their stare intense upon hearing Callie's admission. And just like that — Arizona wanted to take Teddy's advice and drag Calliope into the bathroom.

The ever-present sexual tension was present over the next hour as they continued to laugh, flirt, and find any excuse to, somehow, touch the other. Everyone around them had quickly realized that they were in their own little bubble and didn't bother them.

"So, what one is Bailey married to?" Callie questioned, looking down the long table. The conversation had turned to Seattle Grace and its long line of hook ups and romances.

Arizona scooted over closer, her hand dropping to Callie's naked thigh as she leaned into the Latina's ear. "The one talking to Mark," she whispered, nodding her head in the direction of the two chatting males.

Biting back a groan at the warm hand on her thigh, Callie gave a quick glance down the table before refocusing on the flirty blonde. "So, you're basically telling me that everybody at this table, has been involved with somebody else at this table?"

Arizona tilted her head, looking contemplative. "I've never really thought about it like that — but, yeah."

"What about you?" Callie asked, though she wasn't really sure that she wanted to know the answer; the thought of Arizona being intimate with someone made her skin crawl with jealousy.

Arizona gave a long look down the table, her eyes looking between the women. "You want to know if I've ever slept with anybody at this table?" She screwed her eyes and shook her head defiantly when Callie nodded. "That question calls for another drink," she announced, and stood up, then extended her hand. "Come with me?"

Not needing to be asked twice, Callie allowed the soft hand to pull her upwards and then lead them through the crowded bar. She fought the urge to flip their hands and entwine their fingers, knowing that would not be appropriate.

"When do you leave?" Arizona asked, almost sounding a little sad.

Callie frowned a little. "Monday afternoon. Why?"

Finding courage from who knows where, Arizona opened her mouth to ask Calliope to hang out before she left, but the words jammed in her throat as she saw one of her old hook ups walking towards her. Callie, sensing the change in the blonde's posture, took a step into Arizona. "What is it?"

Arizona looked away uncomfortably. "This girl I used to date is walking over to us." Despite feeling comfortable around Calliope, Arizona did not feel comfortable around any other women, apart from her friends.

"Oh," Callie said sadly, dropping her head a little. "Do you want me to leave?"

Arizona snapped her head up. "No!" she urgently stated, stepping flush against Callie's warm body, the connection putting her at ease. "Just...stay with me."

Before Callie could reply, a pretty, slim brunette was standing in front of them, a bright smile on her face. "Hey, Arizona. How are you?" the voice cheerily enquired, light brown eyes shining up at the blonde.

"Hey, Caroline," Arizona shakily replied, wanting nothing more than to reach out and grasp Callie's hand. "How are you?" She avoided the question about herself, knowing the other woman would not bother to ask again.

"I'm great," Caroline grinned a sweet smile that Callie automatically rolled her eyes at. "I haven't seen you around. Have you been avoiding me?" she said teasingly, that flirty smile still on display.

For the next five minutes, Callie stood, a scowl on her face, as she watched _Caroline_ blatantly hit on Arizona. There had been several times where the brunette had attempted to reach out and brush the blonde's arm, but Arizona had smartly managed to avoid it every time, without being rude.

"So, listen," Caroline began, clasping her hands together in front of her. "I've still got your number — do you wanna go grab some dinner, next week?"

Arizona tensed at the question, her jaw slacking. "I'm uh — I'm not really dating anybody, right now," she declined politely. She was slowly starting to feel like she was sinking back into that dark place.

"Oh, come on," Caroline replied playfully. "One little date — what harm could it do?"

The words were out before Arizona realized what she was actually saying. "I was in a plane crash five months ago. I had to have my left leg amputated. And now, I wear a prosthetic," she revealed in a rush. "Do you still wanna go out with me?"

Caroline looked horrified, her eyes now blatantly staring at the blonde's left leg. "Oh god. I'm so sorry," she stammered out shakily. "I didn't know...or I wouldn't have asked. You know what, I'm just gonna go." She gave an awkward wave before disappearing through the busy crowd.

Callie glanced at the blonde, her eyes closing in anger when she noticed Arizona had that broken look back on her face. "Arizona," she sighed out.

Arizona blinked back tears, shaking her head. "I'm gonna go." With shaky hands, she zipped up the front of her jacket. "Thank you for consulting on my surgery. And thank you..." she stopped talking before her voice broke. "Thank you for helping me with my leg, yesterday; that was really kind of you."

"No, don't," Callie tried to stop her, but Arizona was already weaving her way through the crowd, not even bothering to say goodbye to anyone. Rushing to the table, Callie quickly gathered up her bag and jacket, before running to the door, ignoring the questioning looks from almost everyone. Exiting the bar into the quiet street, she heard the distinct sound of crying coming from the alley on the right. "Arizona," she called out, making her way over to the blonde who was leaning against the wall.

"Don't!" Arizona snapped, holding up a hand to stop Callie from coming closer.

Callie's was fuming with anger, she didn't know how someone could be so insensitive and uncaring towards Arizona. "It's okay."

"IT'S NOT OKAY!" Arizona yelled, her blue eyes brimming with tears of anger and sadness. "Do you not see what my life is now? A girl flirts with me and then finds out I only have one leg, and she can't run away fast enough!" She clenched her fists at her sides, shaking her head in disgust. "That's what my life is now, Callie! What person wants to hang out with the girl with one leg? Who's going to want to take some cripple out on a date, huh?" she spat bitterly.

"Don't! Don't ever say that!" Callie took a step forward, pinning the blonde to the wall. "I would take you out."

Arizona shook her head, unable to stop the frustrated tears from spilling down her face. "Don't pity me."

"I'm not!" Callie argued, bringing her thumbs up to brush away the stray tears. "If I didn't live in Miami, I would take you out in a heartbeat." Her heart was in pieces seeing Arizona like this.

Finally convinced that the tears had stopped, Arizona licked her lips, giving a gentle shake of the head. "I'm sick of feeling like this, Callie." She had a good day, and in the space of two minutes, it had all went to shit, and she was back to feeling like nothing. "I'm not — I'm not the same person, anymore," she admitted in defeat.

"Yes, you are!" Callie reminded, looking deep into those gorgeous baby blues. "You are the exact same person you were before, just minus a leg; that doesn't make you any different."

Arizona swallowed heavily, suddenly becoming aware of how close they really were. "I just...I want to feel like _me._"

"What do you wanna do?" Somehow_ knowing_ that Arizona needed her to stay exactly where she was, Callie only moved impossibly closer, her hands resting on the blonde's jean-clad hips. "We can do whatever you want. As long as it's not bungee-jumping."

Arizona heaved a laugh, her gaze falling to Callie's luscious full lips that were inches away from her own. She could virtually taste the taller woman's sweet perfume. "I don't think I can go bungee-jumping with a prosthetic, anyway," she said lightly.

Callie's dark brown eyes looked at the blonde questioningly. "What do you want to do?" she repeated gently.

Letting out a short breath, Arizona was tired of fighting it, tired of over-thinking every damn thing in her life. What she wanted was right in front of her. And so, she leaned forward, her hands softly cupping the Latina's neck, her lips meeting Callie's in a soft but firm kiss. Blue eyes drifted closed as she felt Callie's hands softly grip her sides as the taller woman instantly kissed her back, their lips beginning to mould together slowly.

Realizing what she had just done, Arizona slowly pulled back, her eyes falling open as Callie leaned their foreheads together. "I'm sorry." Just as she opened her mouth to apologize again, Callie's warm hands on her face cut her off.

"Don't be sorry," Callie said huskily, her voice thick with arousal from their kiss. With her hands cupping the blonde's face, she leaned in at the same time as Arizona, their lips connecting again.

Callie's hands fell from Arizona's face, to around the blonde's slim waist, pulling the lithe body against her own. As if reading the other mind, both mouths opened at the same time, their tongues now sliding together gently, perfectly. Gripping that dark hair tight, Arizona continued to kiss Calliope like her life depended on it, sucking softly on the Latina's bottom lip.

As the kiss began to slow, Callie slipped her hands around the blonde's back, needing to feel Arizona closer. Arizona pulled apart for a second, catching her breath, eyes staying closed, before their lips met again in several soft kisses.

Trying to get her breathing under control, Callie couldn't help but smile against the blonde's pink lips, which made Arizona do the same. With one more kiss on those bruised lips, Callie let her head fall back. She tugged softly on Arizona's hips, silently telling her to open her eyes. Darkened blue eyes floated open, the sight alone sending a shot of arousal straight to Callie's center.

"Now, what do you want?" Callie inquired, her voice no more than a turned on whisper.

Arizona licked her lips, feeling drunk on everything that was Calliope Torres. "I want you, Callie," she simply said.

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**The reviews for the last chapter were so unbelievably amazing — you are all so awesome! Like I said in the last chapter, please ignore all the terrible medical stuff, haha; it would take months for me to sit down and actually research correct medical situations. Next chapter is the last one. It's sad because I've kinda fallen in love with writing this story...maybe watch this space, in the future. Who knows!**

**Also, I'd just like to apologise if anyone is upset or offended by the harsh things that Arizona says about herself. I'm only trying to write from the characters POV, and am not meaning it offensive, at all.**

**Thanks so much for all the follows, reviews, favs. It means a lot, guys.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters y'all.**

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**A guest pointed out that I wrote Callie as a resident. That was a silly mistake; she should absolutely be an attending in this story. That was my mistake, so sorry for any confusion. Callie is most definitely an attending, currently waiting for a Head of Department job.**

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Arizona glanced sideways, a small smirk playing on her lips as she watched those chocolate brown eyes dart around her bedroom. Callie was surprised, to say the least, when Arizona had led them the short distance across the street and up into her apartment. And then, Callie had discovered that the object of her affection stayed three floors below Mark.

The blonde flexed her hand, all the while never letting go of Callie's. Their hands had been entwined since leaving the alley and neither of them were about to change that. The elevator ride was filled with intimate touches, and soft kisses from one to the other. In the fifteen minutes it had taken them to get from Joes, to where they were now, Arizona had expected herself to have changed her mind about what was, most likely, about to happen — but she hadn't. If anything, her desire to be with Calliope had only increased.

Taking control, Arizona took a small step forward, her hands finding solace on Calliope's curvy hips. "So, that's my apartment," she said with a small smile.

Callie mirrored the blonde's step forward. "It's very much what I was expecting," she laughed lightly, fingertips playing with the bottom of Arizona's tight-fitting jacket.

"Meaning?" Arizona raised a challenging brow.

Callie couldn't help but grin. "It's extremely perky," she pointed out, mockingly shaking her head. "But it's cute." She leaned in and gave Arizona a chaste kiss on the lips. "Just like you."

Arizona wrapped her arms more fully around Callie's waist, letting their noses barely touch. "I haven't...since I lost my leg," she stuttered out in embarrassment, cheeks going red at the admission. She knew Callie would have already known, but voicing it was still embarrassing.

"I know." Callie let her hands glide up Arizona's body before stopping on her neck, her thumbs reverently stroking a firm jaw. "We don't have to do anything, Arizona. We can just hang out and talk, or watch a movie. I didn't come up here expecting..." she cut herself off, unsure of how to complete the sentence without making things awkward. Whilst she, of course, wanted to have sex with Arizona, Callie couldn't deny that her feelings for the blonde went a lot deeper than just sex, and if Arizona wanted to hang out all night and watch TV, then Callie would be more than happy to do just that.

Cutting the adorable ramble off with a small laugh, Arizona leaned in for another kiss, this one longer than the last. "It's okay, Callie," the blonde reassured, moving her hands to the top of the zip of that sexy leather jacket. _Now_, the nerves were kicking in. "I never thought that I'd feel comfortable enough with someone...to do this."

Letting their lips touch without actually kissing, Callie said, "I've kinda already saw you half naked, and that image hasn't really left my mind."

Arizona laughed against Callie's lips, butterflies now erupting in the pit of her stomach. "You should do me the courtesy of returning the gesture." And with that, her hands slowly dragged down the zipper of Calliope's jacket, blue eyes darkening at the sight of that glorious body in such a tight dress.

Letting the jacket slip from her shoulders, Callie's eyes silently asked Arizona if she could do the same. Upon receiving a smile in response, tanned hands dragged the blonde's jacket off her body and let it join her own. Arizona had not removed her jacket all night, but now that it was off, Callie immediately noticed that the deep blue shirt the blonde was wearing, was almost see-through.

There was something about the way that Calliope Torres looked at her, that made Arizona feel beautiful and wanted. Arizona had so many doubts about her appearance, but if Callie kept looking at her like she was right now, she knew those doubts would not be a problem, tonight. "Bed?"

Callie's mouth had suddenly gone dry. And she knew that asking for a glass of water would probably ruin the moment, so, instead, she just nodded and allowed Arizona to take her hand and lead her to the edge of the bed. "Are you sure you're okay? I don't want you to think that I'm pushing you."

"Callie," Arizona began with a laugh. "_I_ kissed you. _I_ brought you back to my apartment._ I_ started taking your clothes off. And now _I'm_ leading you to bed." Her blue eyes were sparkling as a reassuring smile lit up the blonde's face. "Are you sure _you_ want to do this?" she asked in return.

Callie's face formed into a teasing smile. "No, I think I'm just gonna go. But thanks for having me." The response was just about the most adorable laugh Callie had ever heard, the sound sending a jolt straight to the middle of her chest. "Of course I want you," she sincerely stated, her voice filled with adoration.

Arizona licked her lips, trying her best to ignore the ache between her legs that was increasing by the second. Inching her head forward, she connected their lips in a kiss filled with passion and want, their tongues crashing together. Whimpering as Callie's teeth gently bit into her bottom lip, Arizona realized her hands had found the zip on the back of Callie's dress, and were, painfully slowly, beginning to pull it down.

Knowing that the line was firmly about to be crossed, Callie blew out a heavy breath, feeling Arizona's nails scrape down her back as the blonde unzipped her dress. She could barely control her breathing, the darkened tint in those deep blue eyes, was setting her body on fire. Feeling Arizona tug at the top of her dress, Callie dislodged her arms and let the garment hit the floor.

Arizona all but groaned as perfectly smooth, caramel skin came into view. Callie's breasts were encased in a deep read bra, pushing her cleavage up so deliciously, almost taunting Arizona. She let her hands tentatively rest upon those godly hips, her fingers toying with the matching red underwear that graced Callie's bottom half. "You're so gorgeous," she gently spoke, her lips placing barely there kisses along a tanned collarbone. "I can't stop looking at you."

Callie smiled at the gently spoken words. It was a statement she wasn't used to hearing, and having it come from the gorgeous blonde, made her heart sore. And she hoped that when she repeated the words, Arizona would believe her, too. "Such a sweet talker," Callie teased, grinning.

Smiling against the soft skin of Callie's neck, Arizona closed her eyes as warm hands began to un-tuck the material of her shirt from her jeans. Being naked in front of someone, was something that she was terrified of, but now, with Callie's hands softly touching the bottom of her stomach, Arizona felt like she would explode if those hands weren't in other places. _Soon._

Kicking off her heels whilst continuing to undo the last of Arizona's buttons, Callie licked her lips in anticipation. Pausing a little, once the shirt was completely undone, Callie dropped her head and began to kiss up the line of the blonde's jaw.

Arizona felt her head begin to fall back at the sensations Callie's lips were creating, her nails dug into the taller woman's hips, almost trying to keep herself upright. "You can take it off," she said breathlessly, guiding Callie's hands to the top of her shirt.

Slipping the material off, brown eyes zoned in on the creamy skin that was now on view, and the perky breasts wrapped around a tight blue bra. "You should wear blue all the time," Callie groaned out, wrapping her hands around the blonde's naked waist, her nails lightly scratching at Arizona's toned back.

"I _do_ wear blue all the time; my scrubs are blue," Arizona laughed, and then slipped her tongue into an awaiting mouth, pulling the tanned body flush against her own.

Callie was pleasantly surprised by Arizona taking control, and allowed her hands to ghost over the button of the blonde's jeans. Sensing Arizona tense a little, Callie continued to pepper the blonde's face with soft kisses until she felt Arizona begin to calm down, again. "You are so beautiful," Callie declared, gazing deep into those unsure blue eyes.

The words brought a renowned sense of calm over Arizona's body, and she found herself nodding against Callie's forehead, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The want she saw resting within those brown eyes finally pushed her doubts aside, even as she felt the cool air hit the top of her residual limb. Praising her earlier decision of removing her boots at the front door, Arizona carefully stepped out of her jeans, leaving them both clad in only their underwear.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." Grasping onto the blonde's slim hips, Callie switched their positions, and perched Arizona onto the edge of the bed, before kneeling down in-between her legs.

"And how's that?" Arizona asked quietly, a hint of insecurity creeping into her voice.

Gently slipping off Arizona's prosthetic leg and then setting it on the floor, Callie sensually ran her hand over the shortened limb, her fingertips digging into the smooth muscle. Leaning up onto her knees, she took Arizona's face into her hands. "Like you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," she whispered sincerely, her lips grazing over the pink ones in front of her as she spoke.

Arizona couldn't take it anymore. The words, the way she was looking at her, the body...everything about this woman was perfect. And Arizona needed her — _right now. _With her leg the furthest thing from her thoughts, she quickly scooted back on the bed, tugging Callie on top of her as she went. "I look at you the same way," Arizona admitted, kissing the corner of Callie's now-smiling lips.

Settling in-between Arizona's legs, Callie continued to smile down at the vision below her. "This is all very sweet and romantic." And it felt a lot more like they were about to _make love_, rather than have a dirty one-night-stand.

Husking out a laugh, Arizona let her hands wind around Callie's back, softly tickling the smooth skin. "I feel like I'm losing my virginity."

"Should we light some love-heart candles and play some cheesy music in the background?" Callie asked playfully, ducking her head down and brushing their lips together.

Again, Arizona couldn't help but laugh, her blue eyes sparkling up at chocolate brown. Instead of answering, she closed the short distance between them, kissing Callie fiercely as her hands continued to roam. Normally, during sex, Arizona felt the desperate need to be in control of everything, but for the first time ever, she was letting someone else take the lead. And letting Callie taking control felt _good_.

Groaning into the kiss, Callie shifted her body, making space for her right hand to travel all over the smooth, creamy skin. Ripping their lips apart, Callie stared down into those darkened blue eyes, feeling her stomach clench at the sight of Arizona's perky breasts so close to her face. "Can..."

"Yeah," Arizona gasped out, following Callie's line of vision to her chest. Setting up as best she could with Callie on top of her, she felt Callie's hands go around her back, before her naked chest was exposed.

Swallowing heavily, Callie gently eased the blonde back into a laying down position, covering the lithe body with her own. Licking her lips, she leaned down and took a hardened bud into her mouth, teeth scraping against the sensitive skin. She needed to have Arizona so badly, the wetness between her thighs, was almost painful.

Arching her back, Arizona let out a low whimper at the first feel of Callie's warm tongue on her chest. She trailed her hands all over Callie's naked back, her fingers easily unclipping the red bra strap. She was virtually shaking with the anticipation of seeing Calliope's breasts up, close, and personal.

Switching to the other breast, Callie lavished it with the same attention that she had just given the other. Feeling her hair being tugged at, she let herself be pulled up the blonde's body, barely being able to catch her breath before Arizona thrust her tongue into her mouth. This was even better than she imagined — and she _had_ imagined it.

Needing to feel Callie, Arizona sat up, slowly swinging her right leg over the tanned body. Callie, getting the hint, allowed herself to be rolled over, and then pulled Arizona directly on top of her, sighing at the feel of their naked breasts intimately touching. Arizona's breath broke from her chest as she took in the sight of Calliope's naked chest, brown nipples were hard and just waiting to be touched. Doing just that, her tongue darted out, firmly sucking on the rounded bud.

Seeing those navy blue eyes, looking at her so intently whilst Arizona continued to suck on her chest, was too much for Callie, and she found herself roughly pulling on that soft blonde hair. She was trying to be respectful and not push Arizona too fast, but that glorious tongue just felt too damn good.

Taking advantage of the new position, Callie's hands travelled down to that toned ass that hadn't left her mind for days. Gripping tight, she gave it a hard squeeze, eliciting a playful shriek from the woman above. "Your ass, has been sent from the _Gods_," Callie just about growled.

Arizona dipped her head back down, kissing across Callie's chest once more. "I was just about to say that about your chest." Her teeth softly tugged on the Latina's left nipple, before softly soothing it with her tongue. "It's very _god_-like," she teased, dimples shining through.

Dipping the tips of her fingers into the back of the blonde's underwear, Callie leaned up, softly kissing bruised pink lips. "You sure you're okay?"

Arizona hummed into the kiss, bracing her elbows on either side of that long, dark hair. "I'm sure," she confirmed in a whisper, giving those luscious lips a small peck every few seconds. "My leg — are you sure it doesn't bother..."

Callie had reversed their positions before Arizona could even get the question out, the blonde's right leg sandwiched between her own, as her right hand rested reverently on the shortened limb. "_Nothing_ about you bothers me, Arizona," Callie reassured, her lips ghosting over just about every part of the blonde's face. From where her hand was resting on the smooth thigh, she could _feel_ the heat coming from Arizona's center. Her mouth was watering in anticipation. "I'll tell you that all night if you need me to."

Feeling her heart flutter at the words, Arizona gently shook her head, fingers threading through soft, dark hair. "I don't need you to do that." She was done with waiting, her entire body was begging for Callie's touch.

With an increased heart rate, Callie asked, "What do you need?"

Squirming under Callie's body, Arizona released a shaky breath, guiding the Latina's hand to the top of her panties. "I need you to touch me," she whispered sensually, spreading her legs as best she could.

With nearly-black eyes and one last kiss to bruised lips, Callie kissed her way down the blonde's body, laying claim to every piece of creamy skin that she could reach. Licking her lips at the sight of protruding hip bones, her teeth gave a playful bite, earning a harsh pull of her hair in response.

"Callie," Arizona growled out in frustration, her grip on the Latina's hair tightening as wet kisses were planted across her naval. "Stop teasing!" She could feel the wetness soaking through her panties, and she didn't doubt that Callie could feel it, too.

Noting that she had found a particularly sensitive spot, a few inches away from the blonde's left lip bone, Callie zoned in on that, gently kissing the silky smooth skin. Threading her hands through lacy blue underwear, giving a husky laugh as Arizona groaned in thankfulness, Callie slid the material down the length of the blonde's legs. Arizona was wet, and quivering with need — just the way Callie wanted her.

Laying flat out on her stomach, Callie threw the blonde's right leg over her shoulder, the scent of the blonde's arousal finally reaching her, making her mouth run dry. "Are you sure —"

"Callie!" Arizona leaned up on both elbows, her face flushed with arousal. "I haven't had sex in so long, I've actually forgotten what sex feels like. And if you.." she cut herself off with a high pitched groan as the Latina's tongue darted out and finally made contact with her aching center. The sensation just about made her pass out. Feeling her elbows give out, she felt herself fall back, her heel digging into the Latina's back. "Oh god."

Groaning at the taste of purely Arizona, Callie continued to give long, slow licks of the blonde's soaking slit, each one earning an _oh god_ to fall from Arizona's lips. Splaying her hands across a toned stomach, her tongue finally reached a hardened clit, much to the relief of the naked woman writhing below her.

Arizona's hips arched off the bed, hands fisting into Calliope's dark hair, as her clit was relentlessly lavished with attention. It had been about thirty seconds, and she could already feel the heat beginning to coil in her stomach. She didn't know if it was the lack of sex or the fact that Callie Torres' head was currently buried between her thighs, doing unimaginable things with her tongue — she'd take a stab at the latter.

When the blonde's hips were thrust off the bed, Callie slipped two fingers into Arizona's entrance, her walls feeling so perfectly tight around her fingers. Arizona gave another firm tug on her hair — Callie was now guessing that Arizona was definitely a hair puller — countless moans and groans now falling freely from her pink lips. Her tongue continued to take heavy swipes of a hardened clit, fingers curling deep inside Arizona's center as she vigorously thrust her fingers in and out.

Arizona didn't ever recall ever being this loud in bed. But the more the thought about it, the more she realised that she had never had such an attentive lover, like Calliope Torres. She could feel the Latina all over her body. Positive that she was about to cry tears of pleasure, her hands forced Callie's mouth away from her clit. "Callie. Please," she moaned out breathlessly, struggling for breath. "I can't — you... up here." It was far too intense, she could barely get the words out. But Calliope got the hint, and the lips that were just on her clit, were now sucking fiercely at her neck, most definitely leaving small bruises behind.

It had never been a turn on for Callie before, but Arizona constantly pulling her hair, was causing the arousal to begin to drip down her thighs. "Open your eyes," she demanded huskily, her lips hovering over Arizona's, unsure if the blonde was okay with immediate kissing.

Blue eyes thrust open, surprised to find Callie's face inches away from her own. Weaving her hands tightly around Callie's neck, she answered the Latina's silent question, and crashed their lips together, moaning at the sweet taste of herself. "I'm so close. You feel so good," she moaned loudly.

Feeling the walls begin to clench around her fingers, Callie curled her fingers one last time, her thumb making torturous circles over the blonde's clit. Hips arching fully into Callie's body, Arizona finally reached her peak, Callie's name echoing around the bedroom, as her orgasm crashed over her entire body.

"God, Callie," Arizona groaned as the Latina's fingers continued to milk every last bit of pleasure available, causing aftershocks to ripple through her. She was shaking in pleasure, sweat almost dripping off her body.

Callie stilled her fingers, and a few seconds later, slowly removed them from the clenched center. Arizona let out a low whimper, nails digging into her back at the loss of her source of pleasure. Kissing a sweat-soaked neck, she couldn't resist the urge of bringing her fingers to her mouth and licking them clean, moaning at the blonde's essence even though she had already the musky taste still on her lips. Arizona Robbins was _addictive_.

Registering lips grazing over her face, Arizona hummed in pleasure, though her eyes refused to open. "Walking out of that bar, was the best decision I ever made," the blonde husked out, her voice still thick with arousal.

Callie nuzzled the blonde's neck and cuddled into her side, a heavy laugh leaving her lips. "_Following_ you out of that bar, was the best decision I ever made." Arizona twisted her body and gave her waist a firm tug, moulding their sweaty bodies together. "You okay?" she asked softly.

Arizona repositioned her head so that their eyes could meet. "Fantastic. Really, really fantastic." She leaned in the short distance and let their lips meet in a sensual kiss. With Callie's hand reverently stroking the back of her neck, Arizona allowed herself to back in the after-glow of what just happened. Calliope was different. Everything about her was so different and so foreign — but in the best way possible.

"I never thought I would have sex, again," Arizona broke the short, comfortable silence.

Callie's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What?" That comment was not what she was expecting the blonde to say next.

"Because of my leg," Arizona sighed out, but she didn't sound sad. "I never thought I could ever trust someone enough, to let them look at it."

"There's shallow people out there that would let it bother them; like that girl from earlier." Callie felt mad just thinking about that girl and what she said. "But I don't know why someone would ever give up a girl like you just because you lost your leg." She tightened her grip on Arizona's waist and pulled her in closer. "I know I wouldn't," she finished quietly.

Arizona gave a genuine, heartfelt smile, placing a delicate kiss to Callie's jawline. "You're something else, Callie Torres."

"Oh, I get that a lot," Callie nodded along mockingly.

Finding that megawatt grin more gorgeous that she could care to explain, Arizona carefully rolled Callie onto her back. "You're not naked," she pointed out, sucking on a tanned collarbone.

Brown eyes fluttered closed at the sensation, tanned hands finding solace on the blonde's firm ass. "You should really do something about that." She fought back a groan as Arizona's tongue encased her nipple, her hands already beginning to fist in the sheets.

In the back of her mind, there was a small hint of insecurity about what she was about to do. Callie had made her feel so, so good, giving Arizona pleasure that she didn't even know existed. And it had been a while since she had been intimate with another woman — and she didn't think she had ever been as intimate with someone the way she was with Callie. But the way Callie's hands were digging into her shoulders, hips arching off the bed, gave Arizona the confidence she needed to drag the Latina's panties down those long, tanned legs.

Feeling her breathing come out in short bursts, Callie's head lolled backwards as soft lips began to intimately kiss the apex of her thighs. "Arizona," she breathed out heavily, barely holding back.

"H'mm?" Arizona felt Callie lace their fingers together, letting them rest at the side of the Latina's panting body. Placing a small kiss upon the patch of neatly trimmed dark curls, she allowed her tongue to have its first taste of Calliope, licking the dripping slit from top to bottom.

Callie's hand tightened its grip on a pale hand, several curses falling from her full lips as painfully slow circles began to torture her aching clit. Callie could barely hold back, she had been on edge ever since Arizona had first kissed her, outside the bar. "More. I need more."

Complying, Arizona slid to fingers up into Callie, meeting her thrusts with vicious strokes of her tongue. She couldn't get enough, Callie's taste was sweet and addicting on her tongue.

Callie was writhing uncontrollably on the bed as Arizona continued her deep, penetrating thrusts. Her body was covered in sweat almost immediately, dark hair sticking to her forehead. She squeezed the blonde's hand forcefully when Arizona continued to hit that spot with every single curl of her talented fingers. She had half expected Arizona to be tentative and shy, but she was far from it — Arizona's tongue was ferocious in its movements.

Arizona scissored her fingers, causing Callie to cry out her name into the silence of the room, the grip on her hand becoming almost painful. She couldn't bring herself to care, though, not when she was buried in all things Callie Torres.

"Arizona!" Callie clenched her eyes closed, toes beginning to curl already with the things the blonde was doing to her. "Fuck. Arizona!" she cried out yet again as a third finger was gently eased inside her core. And with that, Callie couldn't hold it in any longer. A silent scream tore from her throat as never-ending pleasure erupted from head to toe, her thighs clamping around a blonde head. "Oh my god," she screamed, biting her lip in hopes of trying to stop the curses flying from her mouth. Dislodging her hand, she gave the blonde a gentle tug before collapsing back onto the bed. "I can't. I can't. Please." She was completely spent — Arizona had ruined her in just about every way.

"Sorry," Arizona mumbled sheepishly, crawling back up the Latina's body. She leaned her elbows on either side of Calliope's head, slick stomach resting on slick stomach. "Are you — was that okay?" She ducked her head shyly when those dark brown eyes fluttered open to look at her.

"Understatement of the year," Callie replied huskily, somehow managing a small laugh in her exhausted state. Lips pressed against her neck and she sighed in contentment, bringing her arms up to wrap around Arizona's naked waist. "If somebody told me when I first met you, that we'd be doing this three days later..." she trailed off with a chuckle.

Arizona laughed into Callie's warm neck, her lips brushing across the smooth skin. "I guess I was kind of a bitch, huh?" She shifted her position, half laying on the bed and half laying on Callie, an arm thrown across the brunette's chest.

"_Kind of_?" Callie gaped mockingly.

Blue eyes rolled in amusement. "Fine," she surrendered, nuzzling cosily into Callie's cheek. "But you were hot, and you were clearly flirting with me. And that just reminded me that I couldn't have you — even if I wanted you."

"You need to stop thinking like that," Callie sighed out sadly, hating the fact that Arizona had such a low, demeaning opinion of herself.

"I know," Arizona agreed, leaning up on her elbow to look down at the beautiful woman below. "I don't feel like that when I'm with you." They shared an intense look, before Arizona leaned in and joined their lips in a sensual caress.

Breaking the kiss, Callie kept their foreheads pressed together, both sets of eyes still closed. "What if you died?" the unexpected, unplanned words broke from her muoth before Callie could register what she was saying. A sudden clog of emotion had formed in her throat.

"I didn't, though," Arizona replied in a whisper, her right hand softly cupping Callie's cheek. "When I woke up without my leg...I wished that I had." Saying the words aloud made Arizona realise how serious the statement really was. And now, here with Callie, the thought seemed so distant in her mind.

The color ran from Callie's face upon hearing the words, and she couldn't stop the brimming of tears in her eyes. Shifting out of Arizona's embrace, she sat upright in the bed, struggling with the thought of this woman actually _dying_. releasing a shaky breath, she brought her knee up and rested her forehead on it, through the light material of the bed sheet. She could feel the tears leaking down her cheeks, but she couldn't stop them.

Arizona sat up in an instant, feeling her heart break at Callie's reaction. "I'm sorry." She rested her forehead on the Latina's shoulder, hand going to a tanned back that wasn't covered by the sheet. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry," she apologized, coaxing Callie into looking at her. Those big brown eyes looked up at her, and Arizona realized, with one look, that they were both already far too involved with...whatever the hell this was. "Hey, come here." She lay back down on the bed, forcing Calliope's body to come with her. "Lay down with me," she requested quietly.

Complying immediately, Callie curled up into Arizona's side, hooking her leg over the blonde's right. "Sorry. I just —"

"Shh," Arizona soothed, stroking a tanned arm that was flung across her waist. "I shouldn't have said that."

"But it's true," Callie stated quietly. The tears had finally stopped, but the tightening feeling in her chest was still present.

Arizona sighed in defeat, knowing that talking about it, would probably put her at ease. Six months without mentioning a single thing to anyone, and now the words were spilling out freely, like water from a tap. "Just...that first week when I was at home — I've never felt so useless in my whole life. I couldn't walk. I couldn't do anything. And I just wanted it to end." She ran her hand reverently down Callie's side, the feel of the soft skin keeping her thoughts elsewhere. "I couldn't see the light," she finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kissing the dip in the blonde's shoulder, Callie pulled their bodies closer together. "Can you see the light, now?"

Arizona closed her eyes tightly, blowing out heavy breath. "Yeah. I think I've found it." And _it, _was currently lying in her arms and planning to leave in two days time.

"What are you thinking?" Callie asked, after several minutes of soothing silence.

"I'm thinking...I want pizza," Arizona decided, causing Callie's addictive laughter to fill through the air. Shifting to look at the brunette, the blonde's dimples lit up her face. "Not what you were expecting?"

Callie grinned in return, finding Arizona's hand under the comforter. "Not really. But pizza works."

"Pizza always works, Calliope." Arizona captured full lips in a playful kiss. "Always."

Toying with a warm hand, Callie asked, "Do you have a menu?"

Arizona groaned, her head rolling back dramatically. "It's in the kitchen." She made the move to get up, but a firm hand on her shoulder kept her on the bed.

"I'll get it," Callie insisted, throwing the comforter off her body, not bothering to cover up as she walked to the door. "Where is it?"

Licking her lips, Arizona was unable to take her eyes off the gorgeous body that was walking freely around the room. She could feel the beginnings of arousal stirring low in her stomach. "On the fridge," the blonde murmured distractedly, sighing sadly as the naked body disappeared out of her bedroom.

Laying her head back down on the pillow, she took a second to just think about what had just happened. She had met — what could only be described as — the most perfect woman ever. And said woman hadn't so much as gave her leg a second thought. And they had engaged in cute pillow talk that only couples did. And now, said woman was — she hoped — about to spend the night.

Things had certainly done a 180 since Calliope Torres had arrived.

"Please tell me you're not a vegetarian?" Callie asked, head buried in the menu as she slipped back into the bed. "I think I'm gonna leave if you are," she mused playfully.

Arizona mirrored Callie's position, laying on her stomach, and leaning on her elbows. "God, no," she shook her head distastefully, eyes scanning over the small print of the menu.

"I can't have Hawaiian," Callie admitted, a look of pure disgust on her face. "Pineapple on a pizza just freaks me out, and I — it's just disgusting."

Arizona laughed, lips press against a firm bicep. "Weirdo." She could recall tonight as being the first night, in a long time, that she had been truly hungry. "I haven't had pizza in so long. I want everything."

"Then get everything," Callie said simply. She reached across the floor for her bag that had her phone in it. "Get whatever you want, as long as it's not Hawaiian," the Latina reasoned, offering her phone to the blonde.

Hanging up the phone — after order half the menu — Arizona placed it on the bedside table, before turning back to Callie. "They said about fifty minutes." She ducked her head to lightly kiss Callie's collarbone.

Callie puled the blonde fully on top of her, their bodies moulding together perfectly. "So much to do in that time...I could do you. You could do me; the options are never-ending."

Laughing against full lips, Arizona tugged the bottom one between her teeth. "We could do each other?" She shifted her body, feeling Callie do the same, before lowering her body, their heated centers meeting in a mixture of liquid heat. "How does that sound?" she asked cheekily, grinding her hips down.

Wrapping her legs around slim thighs, Callie fought back a groan as pleasure shot through her body. "Sounds _fantastic_."

* * *

"God, that was good." Arizona sat back in satisfaction, her body feeling better than it had in a long time.

Callie quirked an eyebrow. "The sex or the pizza?"

"Both. But the pizza edged first place," Arizona replied, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

Callie sat up on her knees, her hands reaching out to pull Arizona into her, before spinning them round on the bed, pinning the now-giggling blonde below her. "Don't you know that it's wrong to lie?" Gently, she pinned Arizona's hands at her side. "You need to take that comment back, or I'm not moving," she said, fighting back a smile as those perfect dimples appeared below her. She had fallen, _hard_, for Arizona — and there was no denying it.

Arizona's face formed into a look of consideration. "You're on top of me...naked; it doesn't really bother me if you don't move."

Unable to resist those sparkling blue eyes — and almost everything else about Arizona — Callie connected their lips in a searing kiss, loosening her grip on the blonde's wrists. Moving her hands to Calliope's face, Arizona smiled lightly into the kiss, sighing gently as Callie's tongue brushed against her own.

"Do you want me to leave?" Callie hurriedly asked, hovering her face inches from Arizona's. "It's just because...it's almost 1am. And I don't want to leave, but if you want me to leave, then you can just say. Really, it's fine. Whatever you want." She averted her gaze, inwardly cursing the awkward rambling.

Arizona threw her head back in laughter, the sound echoing off the walls. Feeling Callie's body begin to move off her, she gripped the Latina's forearms and pulled her back down. "I'm sorry." She shook her head, trying to ward off the laughter. "It's just, everybody thinks you're this hardcore badass, and then you go and give the most adorable rant in history," the blonde explained, unable to tear the smile off her face.

"I _am_ a hardcore badass," Callie replied firmly, her own grin matching the blonde's.

Gazing up into chocolate brown eyes, Arizona's façade suddenly turned serious. "Sometimes, I can't sleep through the night. And...I get nightmares." Looking away, she prepared herself for rejection. "I want you to stay, but I don't want to wake you up," she finished sadly, her voice vulnerable.

"If you wake me up, then you wake me up; no big deal," Callie said with a shrug. She gave Arizona a reassuring kiss, and then rolled off the blonde's body. "I can sleep when I'm dead."

Arizona rolled her eyes at the comment, it was just so _Callie_. "I'm gonna go put some pajamas on." She was tired and drained — in the best way possible — and she just wanted to fall asleep with Callie.

Gently grabbing Arizona's arm before she could move off the bed, Callie looked at the blonde in confusion. "Why are you putting pajamas on?" Her brown eyes were full of questioning as she sat up on the bed. "Then you won't be naked. And you should _always_ be naked," she reasoned, looking up and down Arizona's naked body.

Giggling slightly, Arizona reached down and donned her prosthesis without a second thought. "It's Seattle, in the middle of October; you don't sleep naked, unless you want to freeze." She pulled her pajamas out of the bedside drawer, much to Callie's displeasure. "And you're a Miami girl, so don't have a hope in hell." Giving the Latina a sweet smile, she threw a spare set of pajamas at her chest. "You can wear those," she offered up, turning on her heel to walk towards the bathroom.

Callie's eyes zoned in on the delicious behind that was staring her in the face. "Arizona?" she called out, just as the blonde was about to close the door.

Arizona spun around, the front of her naked body now on full view. "What?"

Brown eyes travelled down the length of Arizona's body, taking in the gorgeous creamy skin. "Nothing," Callie grinned, looking far too pleased with herself. "I just wanted you to turn around."

Returning the gesture, Arizona shook her head in amusement and entered the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she took a few steps forwards, bracing herself on the sink. She couldn't stop the thoughts from running through her head. Thoughts of Callie moving here, thoughts of being with Callie, thoughts of Callie leaving in two days time. But the scariest thought, the thought that was making her hands tremble, was when Arizona thought about falling in love with Callie — and, right now, it felt inevitable.

Outside the bathroom, Callie sat with her head in her hands — and an ache in her heart. How the hell was she supposed to leave on Monday? She didn't think it would be possible to just go home, and never see Arizona again. She didn't _want_ to go home, and never see Arizona again. This night, had been perfect, but Callie knew that in however many days, weeks, months down the line, she was going to look back on this night — and it would break her heart.

"What time is it?" Arizona asked sleepily, her fingertips reverently tracing the curve of Callie's hip. They had been in bed for over an hour, chatting lightly, kissing softly, and cuddling. But if was evident that they were both trying their best to fight the oncoming slumber.

Glancing over Arizona's shoulder, Callie sighed heavily. "Two thirty," she answered with a yawn, touching their foreheads together.

"I don't want to fall asleep," Arizona sighed out.

Callie nodded knowingly. "In case you wake up and all of this has been a dream?" she murmured cockily, a teasing grin on her face.

Arizona laughed heartily, loving how easy it was for Callie to make her smile. "That's exactly why," she played along. Knowing Callie wouldn't push her, she gave in and told her, anyway. "Sometimes, I wake up and think there's bugs on my leg.

Callie ignored the pang in her chest. "Have you had phantom limb?" she asked in concern, gently placing her hand over the blonde's left thigh.

"No," Arizona shook her head. "But I know I'll get it at some point." As a doctor, she knew all about it. And she had been dreading it since day one.

"I'll be here when you wake up," Callie promised, giving her a sweet kiss. "If you wake up and I'm still sleeping, then just wake me up. I don't care."

"You're amazing." Arizona closed the short distance, kissing Callie languidly, perfectly. "I'm gonna shut the light out," the blonde revealed, turning around before Callie could protest, and plunging the room into complete darkness. For a second, her heart seized in her chest, but then she felt Callie's hands wrap around her body.

Settling on her back, Callie wrapped her arm around Arizona's hip from behind. "I'll be your light," she said quietly, gently kissing the blonde's forehead.

Arizona smiled, nuzzling into Callie's neck, tightening her arm around a curvy waist. "You already are," she whispered into the darkness.

* * *

Fighting back consciousness, Callie burrowed further into her pillow, which she realized, was actually Arizona's neck. Throughout the night, they had switched positions. Callie was now cuddled into Arizona's side, an arm across the blonde's waist, and lips pressing against her throat. Sighing sleepily, Callie perched herself up on her elbow, groaning when she saw that it was only nine-thirty. She hated being up at that time on her day off — and on a Saturday.

Looking down at the sleeping form below her, Callie couldn't help but smile. Arizona was so gorgeous, and she looked so at peace. She couldn't help but reach out and softly brush the soft blonde hair away from her forehead. Arizona twitched her lips and sighed — and Callie was positive that the sight stopped her heart. Several minutes passed before Callie realized what she was actually doing, but by that point it was too late.

"Why are you watching me sleep?" Arizona grumbled, throwing an arm over her head, trying to block out the rays of light that were streaming in through the window.

Callie couldn't help but smile. "Sorry. You just looked so peaceful."

"Because I was," Arizona sighed dramatically, but she didn't sound angry. Lowering her arm, she shifted to face the Latina, a sleepy smile on her face. "Sleep okay?"

Callie nodded, stealing a quick kiss. "I did. Your bed is far more comfortable than mine at home." She trailed her hand down the blonde's toned back, stopping on her pajama-clad ass. "You sleep okay?"

"Amazing," Arizona answered sincerely. She slept as good as she felt. "That's the first time in months that I've slept straight through the night, without waking up."

Callie's face softened, but the fact that Arizona was smiling, put her at ease. "Should have slept with me a lot sooner," she quipped playfully.

"Definitely should have," Arizona laughed in agreement. Finding courage from the warmth she saw resting within those chocolate orbs, Arizona asked, "What are you doing, today?"

Heart beating with anticipation, Callie shook her head nervously. "Nothing," she replied sharply. "Well, I'm meeting Mark and Addison, for dinner, at seven." She looked at Arizona questioningly, sensing a hint of nerves radiating off the blonde. "Why, what are you doing?"

"Do you wanna...hang out, or something?" Arizona asked, blue eyes blinking shyly through her long lashes.

The grin won the battle and quickly took over Callie's face. "Yeah," she continued to smile. "We can hang out until I have to leave, or I could just cancel because I see them all the time, anyway."

"You don't have to cancel," Arizona reassured, her heart fluttering at the thought of spending the day with this woman.

"You're off for a whole week, anyway, right?" Callie inquired, though she already knew the answer. When a curious look was sent in her direction, she blushed a little and looked away. "I may or may not have looked at the rota."

"Maybe you should take a week off and stay in Seattle." Arizona teased. And just like that, a joke had turned the air thick with tension.

Brown eyes bore into blue. "I could do that," Callie replied quietly, nerves going a-hundred-miles-an-hour. "If you wanted...I could do that?" She hoped she hadn't just embarrassed herself and made things awkward, but by the way those blue eyes were lit up — she was guessing she hadn't.

"You could." Arizona was fighting valiantly, trying not to get ahead of herself. "I mean, you could hang out with Mark and Addison. And we could hang out when you weren't busy. That's not a big deal, right?"

Callie shook her head defiantly. "No big deal," she confirmed, claiming pink lips in a soft, firm kiss. "I can call later and work some stuff out." She rolled them over, resting on Arizona's lithe body. "But...have I told you that I make _the_ best French Toast? Seriously the best thing you'll ever taste."

"Mhhhm, I love French Toast," Arizona gushed, continually brushing their lips together. "You should just stay here and marry me; make me French Toast for breakfast every morning."

Callie gazed down at Arizona softly, an unreadable look on her face. "Hey, don't mock fate!" It was something Callie had always believed in. "We could be married in...however many years time, and look back on this conversation whilst...doing things that married couples do." She had meant it to be teasing, but as always, there was a hint of seriousness residing in the air.

"Stranger things have happened," Arizona shrugged, gently cupping tanned cheeks intimately in her hands.

"So, you're gonna marry me?" Callie smiled, softly kissing Arizona's jaw.

Arizona grinned up at the Latina. "We'll see," she teased, before joining their lips once again.

* * *

_Three and a half years later_

Clad in her pajamas, Arizona exited the bathroom, a smile forming on her face as she took in the sight of her wife sitting up in their bed. "Thought you'd be asleep by now," she teased, gently perching herself on Callie's side of the bed.

"I told you I'd wait up for you." Callie looked up, surprised to see that look in her wife's gorgeous blue eyes. "What are you thinking about?" she softly asked, reaching out to cup the blonde's jaw.

Arizona smiled, reverently kissing the back of a tanned hand. "Us." She sat forward on the bed, dimples shining through her face. "That morning after our first night together?" she recalled, making Callie smirk knowingly.

"French toast morning?" Callie's face lit up in that mega-watt grin. "Followed by the nine day sex-a-thon."

Arizona nodded and leaned forward to place a kiss on her wife's plump lips. "I just — I know we joked about it that morning, but I keep thinking if we actually knew then that we'd end up married to each other." She laughed at the whole ridiculousness of it. "And that we'd end up having the most beautiful baby together," she smiled, dropping her head down to kiss her daughter's tiny forehead. Brown eyes, identical to the ones she had fallen in love with years ago, blinked sleepily at her. "Hi, baby."

"You need to stop calling her _baby_," Callie chastised with a laugh, shifting her daughter over to her wife. Her heart melted at the sight of the love of her life cradling their two day old daughter.

"Hi, _Sofia_," Arizona corrected, shooting a teasing glare in her wife's direction. "Do you ever think about that morning?"

Callie shrugged, a small smile on her face. "Sometimes." She shifted on the bed, resting her legs on top of the comforter. "I knew I'd marry you," she earnestly whispered. "As soon as I saw you, I knew you were the one for me."

Arizona's heart did that flip-flop thing that only her Calliope had ever managed to make happen. "Even though I was a complete B-I-T-C-H?" she said carefully, not wanting to corrupt her tiny baby.

Callie's husky laughter filled the bedroom. "Honey, she's two day's old; she doesn't know what that means."

Mouth falling open in mock shock, Arizona gave Sofia's tiny face a small nuzzle, kissing her tanned cheek. "Of course you know what that means. Don't you, Sofia?" the blonde said animatedly, grinning down at the wide-eyed baby in her arms. "Your only two days old and your Mami's already saying those bad words around you. Mommy's gonna have to have words with her."

"I love you," Callie whispered quietly, feeling tears brim in her eyes. There was a point in her life, where she genuinely thought things wouldn't work out between them, that her wife's demons would get the better of her and ruin it for them. But they had fought, _hard_, through the darkness — and they found the light.

Arizona gently cupped her wife's warm cheek with her free hand. "I love you, too, Calliope." She couldn't stop the grin from taking over her face, as Sofia's tiny hand tightly grasped her finger. "You love Mami, too, huh?" Sofia let out a tiny grunt, making the blonde's blue eyes go wide. "And _that_, is going down as her first _I love you_," she insisted proudly.

"Moron," Callie commented, stroking her finger softly over her daughters smooth cheek.

"You know I always loved you, even when we weren't together. I have _always_ loved you." Things had happened, things that were out of their control, and Arizona hated that it took her so long to let Callie love her. "I thought it was for your benefit. I thought that you deserved someone better. But I'm..." she tried to finish, but the lump in her throat was preventing it.

Callie sat forward, wrapping an arm around her wife's back. "Hey, it's okay," she soothed, nuzzling Arizona's shoulder.

Swallowing thickly, Arizona turned to face the woman who held her heart. "I'm so glad you never gave up on me," she finished, smiling through her tears. "Thank you, Callie."

"For what?" Callie took her wide's hand in her own, fingertips toying with their wedding ring.

Arizona sighed, knowing she could sit here all night and give Callie unlimited reasons. "For loving me. For marrying me. For giving me the most beautiful and perfect baby in the entire world." At this, the blonde was unable to stop herself from stealing another kiss from the sleepy baby. "For being my light...through the deepest darkness." She claimed her wife's full lips in an intimate kiss, before pulling apart and gazing into those gorgeous brown eyes. "For being the love of my life," she finished in a whisper.

Callie cursed her wife's ability to make her cry with absolutely anything that she said. "I love you, so much," the Latina gushed. "And you can't really thank me for being the love of your life; that's fate. I told you that on French Toast morning." She had believed it that morning, believed it through everything — and fate had prevailed.

Arizona nodded knowingly. "Soul mates," she whispered, never believing the statement more than what she did in this moment.

Grinning at her wife's comment, Callie stole a chaste kiss. "And she might be beautiful, but you're having the next one."

Arizona rolled her eyes. "You're such a drama queen."

"7lb 12oz, Arizona!" Callie growled. But as soon as she looked down at her daughter, the smile was back on her face.

"Do you hear what your Mami is saying about you, sweetie?" Arizona cooed, kissing just about every inch of her daughter's face. "You know, she threatened to divorce me two days ago. Can you believe that, Sofia?"

Callie roughly bit down on her wife's earlobe. "I was in labor and in pain. And I cried for, like, an hour after I said it, in case I upset you," she mumbled sheepishly.

Arizona tilted her head, dimples etched onto her cheeks. "Calliope, you're never getting a divorce. _Ever_!" Blue eyes looked from one set of brown eyes, to the other. "You're stuck with me," she said quietly, watching on with a smile as the smallest pair of brown eyes fluttered closed.

Callie sighed in complete happiness. "Forever?"

Arizona pressed their lips together in a soft caress. "Forever," she confirmed.

* * *

**I'm honestly stunned by the response to this story — you guys are unbelievable! The _three years later_ part, was never planned; it kind of hit me at the last minute. It's mainly because _if_ this story continues, it will build up to that exact moment. And if it doesn't, then you guys know that everything worked out in the end. I do want to continue it — I have a whole arc in my head — it's just finding the time to actually do it. And I don't think it's fair to start it and then only update every few weeks/months. So, right now...it's 50/50.**

**Thanks so much for the support on this one, guys. I hope you enjoy the fluffiest chapter I've ever written haha.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sooo... funny story! Turns out I'm sort of in love with this story, and couldn't stay away. I've been on my laptop all day, going back and forth between this and PT. And this was the chapter that was finished first! Part of the reason why I'm posting this, is so I have motivation to continue it. I'm not entirely sure when the next update will come, but I guess this story is being continued. I don't control what story my brain wants to write for; I just type the words. I really can't help if one story flows and the other doesn't. An update is an update...right?**

**This is a short little chapter to get us going. The chapters after this will be back to normal length. Anyways, hope you guys are still interested!**

* * *

**I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters ya'll.**

* * *

Flopping down onto the bed, Arizona released a loud grown, as the soft feel of the mattress cushioned against her tired, aching bones. It was 5am, and Arizona had been at the hospital for more than twenty-four hours, due to a roof collapsing at a local high school. Thankfully, there had been no casualties, but Arizona was exhausted nonetheless.

Upon leaving one OR, the blonde would then immediately be requested to assist in another one. It had been a long, gruelling day, made worse by the fact that her leg had started to swell hours ago. Arizona looked down at her leg, not surprised to see that the muscle was inflamed and irritated.

Compared to a few months ago, Arizona viewed her residual limb a lot differently. Her face would not convert into a look of pure disgust every single time she looked at it, she wouldn't cry herself to sleep over it, her hand wouldn't refuse to touch it when she was experiencing a bad bout of severe pain.

No, the days of Arizona being put off by her residual limb, were long gone. But just as Arizona thought things were starting to look up...something else had struck her. And it was _so_ much more worse than hating her residual limb.

It was Phantom Limb Pain.

Although it was completely expected, and as a medical doctor Arizona knew a lot about it, she did not know the severity of the pain it could cause. It was excruciating, both physically and mentally. And even though it didn't occur _every night, _when it did...it was bad. Really, _really_ bad. The pain that always seemed to occur when Arizona had stood for more than twelve hours, normally led to her leg being sore until she sat down. And because Arizona often went to bed in near-enough agony, that pain would then lead to a nightmare.

And then came the Phantom Limb.

It had started around a month and a half ago. The first time still shocked the blonde to her very core. She had dreamt about bugs eating her leg on more than one occasion, but _feeling_ those bugs eating her leg — was absolutely unbearable. She had awoken with a loud scream, drenched in sweat, her hands shakily throwing back the comforter to find the source of the pain. But nothing was there. Because her left leg was the source of the pain.

And her left leg had been cut off eight months ago.

Yawning in exhaustion, but knowing she wouldn't be able to fall asleep just yet, Arizona flipped through the _photos_ app on her iPhone. A sad smile twitched at the corners of her tired face, as she found the particular set of pictures she always looked at to make her feel better.

_Calliope._

The pictures had been taken during Callie's stay in Seattle. There were ones of them in the park, ones where they were chilling in the apartment, ones from when they had gone on the ferry boat together, ones from the top of the space needle, ones where Calliope had pinned her down in bed and taken hundreds of pictures of Arizona to annoy her.

God, she missed her so much, more as every single day went past. It had been three months since Arizona spent the best nine days of her life, with Calliope Torres. And even though Calliope was almost 3000 miles away, still in Miami, they still spoke every single day. Arizona had trouble deciding if that was a good, or bad thing. Because she _loved_ speaking with Callie, but hanging up the phone to _stop_ speaking with Callie, broke Arizona's heart.

They had started off with casual, flirty texts, a few times a day. And then as the days went on, those texts turned into phone calls at night, that sometimes lasted hours. Not knowing if Callie would be awake or not, Arizona sent a quick text to the woman who occupied her every thought.

_You awake?_

Once she got to her favorite photo, Arizona couldn't help but emptily stare at the screen, her thumb trailing across that gorgeous grin that had lit up Calliope's beautiful face. Callie was facing the camera, her signature grin on her face, whilst Arizona had her arms wrapped intimately around the taller woman's neck, lips pressing against Callie's cheek.

_"Wow." Callie looked around, mesmerised by the gorgeous green trees that were all around them. "Who'd have known Seattle could be so pretty," she teased, glancing sideways, awaiting the rant that was, no doubt, about to spill from Arizona's lips._

_Dropping Callie's hand, Arizona walked a few short steps in front of the Latina, and then held up a hand to tell her to stop. "Just because all you're used to seeing, is pretty beaches and big buildings, don't take it out on Seattle." _

_Callie couldn't look away as those adorable dimples graced the blonde's face. "What are you doing?" She watched on as Arizona withdrew her phone from her pocket, and then lined it up to take a picture of her. "I don't really do photos," Callie said, but smiled freely, anyway, as a flash was aimed directly at her._

_Arizona laughed, her finger scrolling through the set of pictures she had just taken. "Says the woman who looks like she's at a photo-shoot," she teased, offering the phone to the brunette when she reached her hand out._

_"You're right, I look fantastic," Callie nodded in mock agreement, before pulling Arizona flush against her, then outstretching her hand that still held the camera. "Okay, try not to make me look bad."_

_Arizona rolled her eyes. "As if anyone could ever make you look bad." She cuddled in nice and close, breathing in the sweet smell of Calliope's perfume that had been around her constantly for the past few days. Her bed was laced with the smell of that perfume, due to the Latina being present in said bed every night._

_They both beamed at the camera, both unable to keep their hands off each other. Arizona laughed into the camera, as Callie firmly grabbed her butt. The grins on both their faces were infectious, and any onlooker would have thought they were watching a couple that had been together for years. Wrapping her hands around a tanned neck, Arizona leaned in and gave Callie's cheek a firm kiss. Callie couldn't help but grin widely; she couldn't remember a time where she had ever been this happy._

_Finally facing each other, grins frozen on their faces, they found themselves in one of those silent stare-y moments where they could not look away from each other. There were so many unspoken words between them, words that were far too strong to be voiced at this moment in time._

_Lowering her head the last few inches, Callie's lips met the blonde's in a soft kiss. She clicked the camera several times, making Arizona laugh against her lips and then pull back. "I didn't get it," the brunette husked out, going in for another sweet kiss._

_It was virtually impossible for Arizona to stopped smiling. "Did you get it?" she asked, keeping their faces inches apart._

_Callie shook her head, the smile on her face betraying the motion. "Nope." Tightening her grip on a slim waist, she pulled the blonde even closer, before joining their lips again. This was the life, she thought, instinctively deepening the kiss when Arizona's tongue sought out her own. "I still didn't get it; you have to keep kissing me," Callie declared, gently cupping Arizona's side._

_Arizona only giggled. And then did exactly what she was told._

The sight of the words _Callie calling _flashing up on the screen, broke Arizona out of her daydream. A goofy grin lit up her face at the sight of Calliope's caller ID picture. It was one of the Latina, in her kitchen, just after Arizona had smeared chocolate all over her face.

"Hey," Arizona answered, barely able to hold back her grin.

Callie smiled into the phone when she was greeted with Arizona's adorable sleepy voice. "_Hey you_," she husked into the receiver. _"What are you doing awake at 5am? Long surgery?"_

"Something like that," Arizona grumbled into the phone. She reached over and switched her night light off, knowing all too well that Calliope's voice would end up soothing her to sleep. "A roof collapsed at a high school, yesterday morning, so I was stuck at the hospital all day."

"_That sucks_," Callie sighed out sympathetically. _"How are the kids? Any casualties?"_

Arizona gave a knowing sigh. "Of course not, Calliope. You should know me better than that." She grinned even though she knew Callie couldn't see it.

Picturing that smile on Arizona's face, Callie gave a light laugh. "_Sorry. Sometimes I forget that you're such a rockstar_."

"Mhmm-hmmm," the blonde hummed into the phone, her hand digging into her aching limb.

Callie sighed, knowing that sound all too well — it was a sound that tore her heart in two every single time she heard it. "_Your leg's bothering you_," she stated confidently, not needing any confirmation.

Arizona didn't know if she hated, or loved that Callie just always _knew _when something was bothering her. "It's fine," she brushed it off. Though she didn't really see the point because she knew from experience that Callie wouldn't leave it at that.

"_How bad is it?"_ Callie asked pointedly, unable to stop herself from worrying. It was times like this where she wished she could drop everything and fly to Seattle, just to make sure Arizona was okay.

"Don't worry about it." Arizona gritted her teeth, anticipating that one of their silly arguments was about to follow. Callie somewhat pushed her to talk about things, and as much as she wanted to hate her for doing it, she couldn't — because it meant that Callie cared. She knew that because when Calliope had been crying her heart out over her parents, Arizona had pushed her to talk — because she cared.

Callie let out a frustrated breath. "_Don't tell me not to worry about you_!" she hissed, her voice holding an angry edge. "_We tell each other everything_."

It was true, Arizona noted, letting her head fall back onto the pillow. They had told each other countless stories from their childhoods, stayed up till 4am asking each other silly questions because they wanted to know everything about one other, Arizona had held Callie, when Callie had told her about her mother disowning her, Callie had cradled Arizona in her arms, when the blonde had awoken from a nightmare.

They would call each other if they had a bad day, each being calmed by the sound of the others voice. Callie had become Arizona's rock, her confidant. And Callie wouldn't have had it any other way; Arizona meant the world to her.

Sighing in defeat, Arizona didn't know why she even tried. "I was on my feet for _twenty-four_ hours," the blonde groaned out. "My leg is killing me."

Callie dropped her head sadly, hating that Arizona was in pain. "_I'm sorry_." She knew saying sorry wouldn't take the pain away, but Callie felt so helpless. "_Did you try an ice pack?"_

Arizona smiled, thinking back to when Calliope had given her a 'Callie-Approved' list of things to do when her leg was bothering her. "No, I'm in bed. I don't have the energy to get up."

"_Just imagine I'm there, giving you a massage_," Callie said, without a second thought.

Arizona laughed into her pillow. "Calliope Torres," she gasped, just _knowing_ that Callie would have that teasing grin on her face. "Are you trying to engage me in phone sex?"

The idea wasn't entirely unappealing, Callie thought, Arizona's favorite grin lighting up her face. "_I was not_," she denied, searching through her closet for a pair of jeans. Her shift was due to start in a half hour, but hanging up the phone seemed near-impossible. "_But if phone sex is something that you would like to participate in, then I'm more than happy to assist you._" She let Arizona's infectious laughter fill through the speaker, making her heart ache. "_What are you wearing?" _Callie asked seductively, only half-joking.

Arizona couldn't answer the question without coming across as a weirdo; she was wearing one of Callie's old college t-shirts that she had stolen from the Latina, a few months ago. She had put it on one morning, mistaking it for her own — their clothes were flung across the bedroom, due to roaming hands the night before — and Callie had immediately insisted that she wear it to bed every night.

So she did.

"I'm wearing...pajamas," Arizona said sexily, playfully. "What are _you_ wearing?"

Callie smirked, knowing she had Arizona right where she wanted her. "_I'm in my closet...wearing only my underwear_," she lowered her voice to that tone she knew Arizona just _loved_.

Even though she had become well accustomed to seeing Calliope in her underwear, Arizona swallowed heavily at the thought. And the low, husky voice wasn't helping matters; she loved Callie's sex voice. "What underwear?" she breathed out shakily, desperate to know.

Callie gave a long, painful paused before answering, "_The black, lace ones_."

Oh dear god, Arizona just about dropped the phone. The black lace ones, were Arizona's favorite Callie underwear — and Callie knew it. "You are an awful, _awful_ tease," the blonde accused.

Callie could have swore she heard a groan come through the phone. "_Don't pretend you don't like it_," she flirted teasingly, pulling on her skinny jeans. "_Oh, and I'm wearing the dark skinny jeans_." This time, a groan could be heard loud and clear. Callie smirked; 1-0 Torres.

"You're killing me!" Arizona said painfully, unable to tear her mind away from Callie's godly hips wrapped so tightly around her dark jeans. "I'm wearing my _red dress_." _That_ would get a reaction, and Arizona knew it.

Brown eyes clenched shut in frustration, Callie's hand tightening its hold on her phone. Arizona was playing _dirty_. "_Unless you want to have Skype sex, right now — you don't get to talk about you wearing the red dress."_ Her mouth was salivating, as she pictured the blonde in the_ red dress_. As soon as Callie had saw it, she knew Arizona would pull it off perfectly.

And pull it off perfectly, Arizona did.

Arizona simply smiled into the phone, wishing for nothing more than Callie to be cuddled up in bed with her. "Any news on a HoD job?" She asked Callie almost every phone call.

"_No_," Callie lied, not finding right now the time to tell Arizona the news. "_Still nothing_."

"You'll hear something soon," Arizona promised; just like she did every other phone.

Overcome with a sudden rush of overwhelming emotions, Callie sat down against the wall inside her closet. "_Are you okay_?"

Struck by the fear and vulnerability in Callie's voice, Arizona perked up a little. "I'm fine," she assured sternly, but gently. "Why?"

"_I just — I worry about you_." Callie leaned her head back against the wall, her eyes landing on the item of clothing that Arizona had bought for her, three months ago. "_With your leg...and everything. The weather can't be helping much, either_," she admitted, sighing heavily into the phone.

"It's bad...sometimes. But I'm okay, I promise." Arizona didn't know if she was lying or not. Because she didn't know if she was okay or not. Some days were good, and some days were unbearable. The only thing that got the blonde through them, was knowing Calliope was only a phone call, or text, away.

"_Maybe you should go somewhere with some heat_," Callie suggested, glancing at the clock. She didn't really care if she was late; Arizona was more important than paperwork. "_Somewhere like Miami_," the words were unplanned as they left the Latina's lips, surprising the both of them.

Despite Callie freaking out on one end, Arizona didn't really see the question as a big deal. "You and I both know if I could get on a plane, I'd come visit you in a _second_." And Arizona would have.

Callie gave a sullen nod into the empty room. "_Yeah_," she breathed out heavily. There was a lengthy pause, where she could hear Arizona's heavy breathing on the other side. "_You still awake_?" she asked gently, quietly.

"Yeah," Arizona yawned out, barely holding onto consciousness. "Would it be bad, if I said that I'm imagining you doing that thing where you play with my neck."

Feeling a pang of sadness strike her entire body, Callie held the phone away from her ear, and let out a shaky breath. She had never missed Arizona more than what she did in that moment. "_No, it's not bad_." It was positively _heart breaking, _Callie thought, her throat thick with emotion. "_Just keep doing that until you fall asleep_," Callie reassuringly whispered. After about two minutes of heavy breathing coming from the phone, Callie had guessed that the blonde had fallen asleep. "_I miss you_," Callie said painfully, before hanging up.

Arizona felt a lone tear run down her face. "I miss you, too," she whispered back sadly, even though the call had already ended.

With a groan, Callie forced herself upwards off the wall. She was about to leave her closet, but she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to touch the brand new white lab coat that was hanging up. Gingerly, she picked it up, staring at it like it was going to solve all her problems. Her thumb brushed over the words _Calliope Torres M.D - Head of Orthopedic Surgery. _It took everything Callie had to not break down on the spot. She just missed Arizona so damn much. _All the time_.

_Callie emerged from the bedroom and upon glancing up from her phone, she took in the sight of the gift bag sitting on Arizona's coffee table. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the silver and black bag. "Did you but me a present?"_

_Arizona patted the couch gently, wanting Callie to sit next to her. "Yeah," she admitted, smiling shyly._

_Callie had only been joking when she asked, but she knew by the look on Arizona's face that the blonde was being serious. "I — you did?" Callie was taken aback, heart beating wildly in her chest, as Arizona just nodded and sat the fancy bag on her lap._

_"I bought it, today, when we were out, and you were on the phone to Mark." Arizona clasped her hands nervously in her lap. She hadn't been intending to buy it, but she just couldn't stop herself. "If you don't like it...it's fine," she stuttered out, feeling like she was a teenager giving their first Valentine's card._

_Callie only laughed at the blonde's awkwardness, and began to unwrap the gift. Once the gift was revealed, Callie was overcome with so many feelings. It was an elegant white lab coat — her exact size — and it had the words 'Calliope Torres M.D - Head of Orthopedic surgery' engraved in fancy writing. She was speechless. It was only a simple lab coat, yet Arizona had ridden her absolutely speechless._

_"I-I love it," Callie said, swallowing heavily past the lump in her throat. It was the most meaningful gift she had ever gotten._

_"I know you're not a Head, yet. But I know, and you know, that you will be — soon!" Arizona gave the Latina's hand a soft squeeze, not that Callie needed any reassuring. "So when you do have you own Department, you'll be ready," the blonde said, smiling._

_Callie pulled the blonde into an intimate hug, fiercely wrapping her hands around Arizona's waist. "Thank you so much," she sincerely stated, gently kissing the dip in Arizona's neck. "This really means a lot to me." _

_Arizona smiled, hugging Callie back just as tightly. "You're welcome."_

* * *

"Do you _ever_ put that thing down," April Kepner groaned, glaring at the blonde, who was refusing to put her phone down.

"What?" Arizona didn't look up, still smiling at her phone, as she continued to text Calliope. Arizona didn't really know how it happened, but she had, somehow, ended up friends with April Kepner. Teddy had left Seattle, a month ago, to go work in Germany, and Arizona was extremely sad to see her best friend go. So she had ended up at Joe's on the night Teddy left, April joining her at some point through the night.

And now, here they were. Friends...or something.

April continued to glare. "You never put that phone down," the red head pointed out. Arizona gave a full laugh when Callie's next text came through. "See!" April waved her hands about, as if to prove her point. "Who are you always texting?" She knew it was a woman; it had to be a woman.

Arizona sobered up, getting her laughter under control, before typing a quick reply. "Oh, it's just the ER," the blonde mumbled distractedly.

"The ER?" April questioned, not believing it for a single second. "Since when does _the ER_ make you look like a giddy teenage boy?"

Arizona had never told April about hooking up with Calliope, but the blonde didn't really think she could avoid it for much longer — April was onto her. She considered just telling her friend — it wasn't a big deal — but Arizona kind of liked having Callie all to herself. "You know how hilarious patient charts can be, these days," the blonde laughed awkwardly.

April tilted her head, the disbelieving look she was giving Arizona made the blonde look away. "Who is it?! Is it a girl?"

Arizona scoffed, ignoring her phone as it chimed in her pocket. "No one!" April didn't give up, she'd give her that. "I don't have a love life." That part was true; she wasn't _with_ anyone. And whilst she spoke to Callie every single day, and turned women down, point black if they came near her — because of Callie — Arizona really wasn't with anyone. She was well and truly single. And also pining after an orthopedic surgeon that was currently living in another state.

"What about you and Jackson?" Arizona changed the subject. She knew once April got started she really wouldn't stop. It was better than being questioned on Callie, Arizona decided. "No more bathroom hook-ups?"

April blushed furiously, and began to stutter like an idiot. "Wh-what? No...No. That was just that one time!"

"And then the time after that," Arizona added, nodding along playfully. "Why don't you just suck it up and start dating him?" If only her own love life was that simple.

"Why don't _you_ just suck it up admit that you've got a secret text lover?" April shot back loudly.

That was a fair point, Arizona thought, stifling a laugh. "No secret text lover." Just as April was about to reply, the sound of her pager going off tore through the air. Arizona thanked her lucky stars. "Bye," she smiled sweetly.

* * *

A week after her conversation with April, Arizona was headed down to the cafeteria to meet the usual gang for lunch. She had tried to not be on her phone as much, knowing that people were becoming suspicious. The joke of the lunch table, was to _find out Arizona's secret text girlfriend._

It was ridiculous. But, it was her own fault. Maybe if she could stop thinking about Calliope Torres for one second, she could deny the accusations. Her phone signalled a text from the woman in question.

_I kinda need to talk to you._

Arizona frowned. That sounded a bit intense she thought. _What's up? _the blonde typed out, hoping nothing was wrong.

Callie pressed the button for the elevator, adjusting her _very_ tight fighting pencil skirt. _Are you working today? _she replied to the text, feeling anxious.

In the middle of typing a reply, Arizona glanced up when the elevator doors opened. Her jaw hit the floor, as she took in the sight of Calliope, standing three feet away from her, looking beyond delectable in a high waited pencil skirt. _Holy. Shit._

"Hey," Callie said nervously. "So I'm guessing you _are_ working, today."

Arizona couldn't form words, her mouth simply hanging open, as she continued to stare at the gorgeous woman. This had to be a dream... right?

* * *

**And so it begins! Calzona's time together will be revealed in flashbacks — just like they were in this chapter. The entire plot is in my head and ready to go...all I need to do is write it! I'm guessing around fifteen chapters for this one? I really hope you guys enjoy the remainder of this, it's gonna be an emotional one. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A guest asked for the timescale of this story, and since I can't reply, I have to do it here. The plane crash was NINE months ago. Callie and Arizona met FOUR months ago. There was about a MONTH between the start of chapter five to the finish. Hope this helps!**

* * *

**I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters ya'll.**

* * *

_"Hey," Callie said nervously. "So I'm guessing you are working, today."_

_Arizona couldn't form words, her mouth simply hanging open, as she continued to stare at the gorgeous woman. This had to be a dream... right?_

"Wh-what are...you doing here?" came Arizona's shocked, stuttered out response. There was a hint of accusation in her voice. She had been speaking with Calliope for most of the afternoon, and now the brunette was standing right in front of her. Arizona was pissed — why the hell hadn't Callie told her?

For a few seconds, they just stared at each other — much like they had done so many times four months ago. And they both couldn't help but think back to the last time they saw each other.

_"Could all passengers awaiting to board Flight 872 to Miami, please make their way to gate 17. The flight will be boarding shortly."_

_Arizona clenched her eyes shut, somehow wishing she could block out the call that had just been announced over the airport. In a few minutes, Callie was going back to Miami. The thought just about killed her. How had nine days gone by so fast? It felt like they had just met._

_"That's me," Callie declared sadly, but did not stand up. She looked at the blonde sitting next to her, not at all surprised to see that Arizona was staring intently at the ground. __A few more minutes of silence passed — the only communication between them being the death grip on each others hand — before another announcement for Callie's flight rang out. "I should go." She had to leave, had to stand up, but her legs were glued to the ground, frozen in place._

_"Yeah," Arizona breathed out. Knowing they would sit there all day if someone didn't move, the blonde forced herself upwards, gently coaxing Callie with her. "Promise me you'll text me when you land. So I know your plane hasn't crashed or something like that." Callie just gaped at her, making Arizona shrug sheepishly. "Sorry."_

_Normally Callie would have found the comment at least a little funny, but today, it just made her sad. It was frightening to think about how hard she had fallen for Arizona. She had expected her feelings to intensify due to the amount of time they had spent together — but she hadn't expected how much they were going to intensify. _

_Callie smiled, although it looked more like she was in pain as she did it. "I'll text you," she promised, unsure of what to do, or say, next._

_Arizona was dealing with the same dilemma. She wanted to hug Callie, but she was afraid that she would never let her go. "I had a really great nine days with you, Callie." And right on cue, the tears began to form in her blue eyes. Why was this do damned hard?_

_Releasing an un-shaky breath, Callie glanced away from the blonde, knowing that if she saw Arizona crying, her own tears would soon follow. "Me, too," she agreed, managing to keep her voice steady. How she managed it, Callie had no idea. "Although, I think this vacation has kind of ruined every other vacation I'll ever take. Now, I'm gonna expect a hot blonde to seduce me wherever I go."_

_A genuine laugh fell from Arizona's lips, the sound making Callie smile. "Sorry about that," the blonde teased, the statement a blatant lie. The light smile on her face was cut short as the final call for Callie's flight was announced. "You should go, before you miss your flight."_

_Right now, missing her flight sounded like the best option. "Yeah." The night before, they had both agreed to keep the goodbye nice and light — but this was far from nice. Callie let her bag drop to the floor, and opened her arms a little, the gesture obvious._

_Arizona had no idea why, but that was what caused a burst of tears to spill down her face, a choked sob forcing itself out of her mouth. Callie's arms were around her instantly, pulling her in close, calming her. "We said we weren't gonna do this," Arizona breathed out, her breath tickling the tanned skin on Callie's neck._

_"I know," Callie said shakily, closing her eyes tightly, hoping to fend off the tears. "Take care of yourself, okay?"_

_Arizona nodded solemnly, burrowing further in Callie's warm skin. "I will." She'd been through hell the past few months, yet saying goodbye to Callie felt worse than anything she had ever felt before. "We'll still be friends, right? We'll still talk, and text, and..."_

_Callie tightened her grip, knowing that Arizona's shaky voice was about to break at any second. The word friends felt like a knife in her chest, but there was just no way that they could be anything more, whilst living in separate states. "We'll still be friends. I promise," Callie declared, a quiver now present as she spoke._

_"Okay." Arizona forced herself out of the warm embrace, her body immediately missing the feel of Callie's strong arms around her. Managing a forced smile, she gave Callie's hand a soft squeeze. "Get out of here, Callie," she said lightly, nodding as if to say that she was okay._

_Immediately knowing what Arizona was doing, Callie gave a small sigh, and then picked up her bag. "I'll see you," the crack in her voice was painfully clear. This moment had been dreaded upon since she had first kissed Arizona. And rightly so, because Callie was completely sure that she was experiencing her first broken heart. She had watched her sister cry her heart out over her first boyfriend, not knowing why, but now — Callie knew exactly why. It was painful. Physically, mentally, emotionally painful._

_"Bye, Calliope," Arizona whispered out. As soon as Callie was out of view she was going to break, she could just feel it. _

_Callie nodded, offering up one more smile, before she turned around to walk away. But neither had noticed that their hands were still entwined, and as soon as Callie turned around, both were locked in place, the grip tight between them. Devastated blue eyes met with tear-filled chocolate brown. _

_And one look was all it took._

_Lips met lips in a kiss filled with emotion, eyes fluttering closed instantly. They were saying everything they wanted to say without actually saying. Arizona's hands cupped Callie's cheeks, feeling the moisture through her fingertips, as the brunette's tears made contact with her skin. Callie moaned heavily into the kiss, the fact that she was about to burst into tears making it so much harder to breath._

_And then it was over._

_They leaned their foreheads together, eyes still closed, breathing not yet under control. Both were freely crying, the tears thick on their faces. _

_It was heart-breaking._

_Their eyes opened at the same time, meeting in a look that was too intense for either of them. And after one last kiss, Callie walked away, not looking back. Arizona just watched as the woman who brought light into her life...walked straight out of it._

A little taken aback by the bluntness of the question, Callie cleared her throat. "I um — I have a job interview today...for the Head of Ortho." A smile, a congratulations, a hug...those were the things Callie was expecting from Arizona — but all she was getting, was a wide-eyed, shocked look in response.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Arizona inquired, her arms crossing over her chest defensively. She had thought about what it would be like to see Calliope, again — but none of her scenarios turned out like this one was turning out. She wondered how long Callie had been keeping this from her.

"Because I knew you'd be all supportive and _'you'll get the job,_' and I just," Callie stopped talking abruptly, caught off guard by how blue Arizona's eyes really were. The blonde was so, so beautiful, and Callie felt her body crave Arizona's touch. "I just didn't want to get my hopes up," she finished, sighing heavily. "I didn't want to get my hopes up, Arizona." But she had gotten her hopes up. If Callie was being honest, she was expecting to get this job, and then_ finally_ start something with Arizona.

Arizona held her defensive posture, fighting the urge to just pull Callie into her arms, to kiss her fiercely. She'd had that urge since the first time she set eyes on the brunette, and she really doubted if it was ever going to go away. "When's your interview?"

Again, Callie couldn't really get over the way Arizona was acting. The blonde was speaking to her like she was a complete stranger — and they were anything but. "It's in fifteen minutes," Callie noted, glancing at her watch.

What if Callie got the job? Arizona couldn't even focus on that. She internally chastised her self, of course Callie was going to get the job; the woman was on Ortho _god_. "How long are you here for?" That was the question Arizona desperately needed to know.

"Until tomorrow night," Callie replied, searching the blonde's face for a reaction. She didn't get one.

"Right," Arizona sighed out. There were so many things running through her mind, she just couldn't deal with this right now. She was pissed that Callie hadn't told her, hadn't gave her time to prepare. And she was so elated to see the Latina at the same time, even though she knew she wasn't showing it. "Well, good luck!"

Callie almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Four months ago, they were acting like a couple, and now, Arizona wouldn't even meet her gaze. "Yeah, right. Okay." Apparently, she wasn't going to be getting that hug, because Arizona gave her one more smile, and made the move to walk away. "Wait," Callie called out, gently grasping the retreating blonde's arm. "I'm gonna be done in about an hour. Do you — can we go grab some lunch, and...talk?"

The touch on Arizona's arm felt so warm and familiar, like coming home. But Arizona carefully stepped away from Callie's touch, not missing the way those expressive brown eyes filled with a look of hurt. "I um...I have things to do." She took a few hesitant steps back. "I'll text you...later. Or something." What the hell was she doing? "Good luck."

Callie watched on in shock as Arizona basically _ran_ away from her. That hadn't really gone to plan. Putting it down to _Arizona being a little shocked, _Callie turned on her heel, and made her way to Chief Webber's office. She'd sort _that_ out, later.

* * *

Bursting through the first door she could find, which happened to be the Attending's Lounge, Arizona shakily closed the door behind her. Callie Torres was here. The woman who had been on her mind _every single day_, for four months, was in the same building as her. She shifted her lab coat off her shoulders and flung it on the nearest couch, her body suddenly feeling like it was on fire.

Why had she acted like that? All Arizona had wanted to do, was take Callie into her arms and hug her. But she didn't. She had acted like a complete idiot, unsure of what to do, or say.

When Arizona had expected to see Callie, again, she had expected everything in her life to be fine. Because when she last saw Callie, everything kind of was fine — aside from the broken heart, of course. Callie had made her feel whole again, made her able to look at her own body and not feel disgusted, made Arizona see that she was still _Arizona_. And she couldn't have been more happy about that.

But as quickly as that had happened — it had disappeared. For about two months, she was back to her usual smiling, perky self — to a degree, she still was — but Phantom Limb had struck her. And it was eating her alive. She couldn't control her sleep, couldn't control the pain, couldn't control if she was going to have to let Alex take the lead on a surgery because too damned tired to operate.

So on some level, Arizona actually thought she was worse, _now_, than what she was when she met Callie — because everything was so out of her control. And before — it wasn't. Before, it was her choice to hate herself, to hate being an amputee, to hate her residual limb. But what was happening to her now, wasn't Arizona's choice.

Slowly setting herself down onto the couch, Arizona let out a deep breath, her thoughts scattered all over the place, like pieces of a messed up jigsaw puzzle. Sighing as the door was thrown open, she looked up, thankful when it was only April. "Hey."

"Oh. Hey," April replied cheerfully, setting herself down on the opposite couch. Looking at the blonde, she noted the distant look on her face. "What's wrong with you?"

Arizona sighed, her hand automatically covering her face, as if to block out the entire world. "Nothing."

"I don't think this friendship is going to work, if we don't talk about things?" April suggested, a reassuring smile on her face.

It was true, Arizona thought, her hands awkwardly picking at her scrub pants. "Callie Torres is here." The words were supposed to make her feel happy, and they did...a little — but they also came with a feeling of dread. Because Arizona _knew_ Callie was going to get the job. And she also knew what was going to happen after that.

April looked a little confused, but that look quickly formed into one of recognition. "That Ortho surgeon that consulted on one of your surgeries, a few months ago?"

"Yeah," Arizona confirmed, shifting to get a little more comfortable. She wasn't one for talking about her personal life, but April was her friend, and she needed to get it off her chest.

"So, why does Callie Torres' presence make you look like a wounded puppy?" April was starting to get an idea, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She was going to let Arizona come to her.

Deciding that talking about it a little wouldn't hurt, Arizona revealed the big secret that had her friends guessing for months. "We had a...thing," the blonde revealed, choosing her words very carefully.

"I knew it!" April basically yelled, making the blonde roll her eyes. "What kind of a thing?"

"We hooked up." Arizona gritted her teeth somewhat humorously; April obviously knew what she meant. But the red head still didn't look happy with the answer. "Sex, April. We had sex," she grumbled in annoyance at having to actually voice the words.

April adapted a look of pride. "Way to go," she said enthusiastically. "I'm not a lesbian or anything, but that woman is _hot_."

"Yes. She is." Arizona didn't really think _hot_ was the right word to describe Callie. Unbelievably, breathtakingly stunning seemed to fit a lot better — especially in that dark grey pencil skirt that Callie happened to be wearing.

"Okay. So, you hooked up. And then what happened?" April sat forward in her chair, like she was watching a movie that she couldn't look away from.

Not really knowing what to say next, Arizona took a few seconds to think of the best way to describe it. And then she did.

_Arizona drummed her fingers on the soft material of the couch cushion, anxiously awaiting a reply from Callie. The Latina had left her apartment around three hours ago, both of them agreeing that she would return, after dinner with Mark and Addison. They both confirmed several times that hanging out, wasn't a big deal, that they were simply two people who had sex the night before, and then spent the whole day together... and then met up again at night._ _She didn't really know if Callie was even going to come back tonight, but Arizona really hoped she would._

_Thinking back to Callie's words from this morning, Arizona couldn't help but feel nervously excited. Callie had said that she was going to stay a few extra days in Seattle, and whilst the Latina hadn't actually confirmed how many days that actually was, she had cancelled her flight for Monday._

_The blonde's phone beeped, signalling the text message she had been waiting on._

**_Addison got paged and had to leave, now I'm the third wheel with Mark and Lexie! What are you doing?_**

_Quickly typing a reply, Arizona's hand hovered over the send button. **That sucks! You can come be the third wheel with me and a bottle of wine...if you want? **She could sent a flirty text, it wasn't a big deal. But what if Callie turned her down. Dear god, when did she become such a teenage girl? Closing her eyes, Arizona hit send, and hoped for the best._

_All too soon, Arizona's iPhone lit up. "Come on. Come one," she muttered to herself, screwing her eyes up, as if the phone was going to blind her when she looked at it. She smiled when she saw the reply._

_**Are you sure? **_

_The blonde's thumbs worked fast, writing **A****bsolutely! Just walk in, you don't have to knock! **before heading to the bathroom to make sure her hair looked okay._

_Callie grinned at the text, quickly standing up, abruptly cutting Mark's story. "Okay, so this has been great," she said, fumbling for her purse that was hanging over the back of her chair. "But I'm gonna go."_

_Mark and Lexie looked at her like she was crazy. "You're leaving? Why?" Mark inquired, looking utter shocked at his friends antics._

_Throwing her leather jacket over her shoulders, Callie quickly zipped it up, her hands shaking with nerves. "You know...you guys are a couple; you need couple time. And I'm just being the third wheel."_

_"We don't mind," Lexie grinned, her voice completely genuine._

_Callie kind of hated how nice her best friend's girlfriend was. Why couldn't she be a complete bitch, who wanted her to leave? "No seriously!" the Latina insisted, basically throwing her cash in Mark's face. "Lexie, it was so great to have dinner with you. Mark, I'll call you tomorrow. You guys have a great night!" She was in a cab in under five minutes, feeling no guilt whatsoever for leaving dinner early. _

_Once outside the blonde's door, Callie's hand froze in mid air, just as she was about to knock. Her entire body was overcome with a severe bout of nerves, hand shaking as it hung it mid air. Yeah, she had slept with Arizona, last night. And then spent most of today with the gorgeous blonde. _

_But what the hell was going to happen, now?_

_Where the hell would she sit when she went in?_

_Did them spending a whole day together guarantee that she was going to stay, tonight?_

_It wasn't a big deal, Callie reassured herself, straightening out her jacket, and releasing a deep breath. She finally gathered up the courage and knocked the door, immediately hearing a faint 'come in' being yelled from inside the apartment._

_Arizona turned around on the couch, when she heard the door open. "I told you not to knock," she chastised playfully, blue eyes roaming up and down Callie's body. Although Callie's legs were covered by black skinny jeans, it was hard to look away from them; Callie's legs were killer. "You look really pretty." _

_Callie gave a nervous laugh. She had quickly learned that Arizona Robbins could turn on the charm, like the flick of a switch. The nervous, stuttering mess from five days ago, was gone. And in its place, was a confident, charming woman, who knew exactly how to talk to a lady._

_Sensing Callie's nerves, Arizona couldn't help but give a small laugh. She thought she was going to be the nervous one. "Wine?" she offered up, as Callie entered the living room._

_"Yeah," Callie nodded, helping herself to the bottle that was laid out on the table. She barely gave a notice to the prosthetic leg that was propped up against the wooden table._

_"How was dinner?" Arizona asked, turning the volume of the TV down a little._

_Callie shifted out of her jacket, thankful that her nerves had now disappeared. "It was nice, yeah. Addison got paged half way through, though." She looked at the couch, then at Arizona, and then to the lone chair that sat off to the right. Arizona was sat outstretched on the couch, taking up two of the three cushions, a blanket covering her lower half. She didn't want to sit on the single chair, but she didn't want to sit at the bottom of the couch, miles away from Arizona, either. What now?_

_It hit Arizona before she even had the chance to do something about it. She was wearing shorts, and she didn't have her leg on. She'd been so focused on making sure her hair looked okay, she hadn't even noticed that she still had shorts on. Her heart seized in her chest. It was an instinctual reaction; one she couldn't stop from happening._

_"What? What's wrong?" Callie watched as Arizona entered a state of panic, the blonde's hand awkwardly touching the bottom of her blanket. Now panicking herself, she took a few steps forward, perching herself on the edge of the couch. "Are you okay?" Callie asked in a rush._

_"I don't have my leg on," Arizona blurted out, unable to stop the unplanned words tumbling from her lips. "I'm wearing shorts, and I don't have my leg on." Callie had seen her leg on a few occasions, but trying to get over something that had been haunting her for five months, was proving to be a struggle. Getting past the insecurities wouldn't happen overnight, Arizona knew that, but she really wished that it would._

_Callie only shook her head, a playful smirk on her lips. "You know we had sex last night, right?" The confused look on Arizona's face, was positively adorable; Callie couldn't help but grin. "And then we had sex again, this morning. And then after that, we took a shower together," she strategically reminded, slipping her hand under the soft blanket to gently cup the blonde's residual limb. "I've saw your leg a lot over the past twenty-four hours." She watched as the panic seemed to disappear from Arizona's face. "I don't care, Arizona. I thought you would have realized that by now."_

_Arizona nodded, the spoken words from Callie immediately putting her at ease. Callie was really good at that, she noted. "I know. It's just really hard to get over it. It's just instinct to panic about it." She hated it._

_Nodding in understanding, Callie retreated her hand, this time raising it to cup the blonde's fair cheek. "It'll disappear through time. Trust me."_

_A smile lit up Arizona's face, and she couldn't stop herself from sitting forward, lips meeting Callie's in a sweet kiss. It had only been a few hours since their lips had last touched, but her body was aching to feel Callie's touch._

_"Now, um," Callie began, clearing her throat a little. "You need to move over, because I am not sitting over there, when you're sitting over here."_

_Arizona emitted an adorable giggle, her hand reaching out to throw the grey blanket back. "You wanna watch a movie?" the blonde asked, pulling her right leg upwards to make room for Callie to sit on the middle cushion, nice and close._

_Callie noticed that the TV was paused. "What were you watching before I came in?" She settled to get comfortable, allowing Arizona to deposit the blanket over the both of them. _

_"Oh, just this drama thing. I can watch it any time," Arizona reassured, flicking through the Movie settings on the TV._

_"What is it?" Finding a renowned sense of confidence, Callie hooked her hand under Arizona's bare ankle, gently pulling her leg to sit on her lap. She suddenly wondered why she was so nervous before she came in. Everything felt incredibly comfortable._

_Arizona barely paid any attention to the move — it felt so normal and familiar. "It's called 'Underground Facility'. It's about these spies, who work for an underground system. They have to do missions, and they all have sex with each other...you know the score," Arizona explained, sipping from her white wine. _

_Callie noted that she had seen a preview for the show in question, at some point. "Put it on. I don't mind," she encouraged, shifting over a little closer, her hand trailing circles over a toned calf._

_"Really?" If Arizona had slept with a woman before, she really didn't recall cuddling on the couch, and watching TV shows the next day. She really, really liked doing it with Callie, though. "It started a few weeks ago, but I've only watched half of the first episode. I ended up getting paged half way through it," she recalled, setting the first episode back to the beginning. "We can watch it from the start."_

_An hour later, just after the first episode was done, Callie sat bolt upright on the couch. "What the hell?!" the Latina yelled, making the blonde laugh at her reaction. She looked at Arizona as if she was the writer of the show. "Why is she sleeping with him?! I thought she was gonna hook up with that Nicholas guy."_

_Arizona continued to laugh. "Wow. You really get involved," she teased, her hand toying with Callie's under the blanket._

_Blushing a little, Callie took a gulp from her glass of wine. "Yeah, I do that," she mumbled sheepishly, enjoying the feel of the blonde's hand reverently running over her own. "But, seriously? That doesn't piss you off?"_

_"It's just the first episode!" Arizona reminded dramatically, pulling up the next one, before Callie ended up killing her. "I'm sure she'll hook up with the other guy."_

_"Can you guarantee it?" Callie shot back, shifting to get comfortable. "What if it's one of those scenarios, where they drag it out for five seasons, before they finally hook up?"_

_Arizona sighed, struggling not to laugh. Callie was so endearing in the dorkiest, cutest way possible. "Are you not comfortable?" she asked, noticing that Callie was struggling to sit still._

_The back of the couch was a little rough on her back, but Callie wasn't going to complain. "No. I'm fine."_

_Laying down on her side, Arizona scooted forward on the couch, leaving room for Callie to lay behind. "Lay behind me...if you want," Arizona offered up, hoping she didn't sound nervous. Because she was. Being around Callie made her nervous, made her palms sweat._

_Accepting the invitation, Callie mirrored the smaller woman's position, not thinking twice before draping an arm around Arizona's waist, moulding their bodies together perfectly. Arizona smiled, sighing contently. "Press play — the wait is killing me," Callie spoke, her lips ghosting over the back of a smooth neck. _

_Two hours later, both were struggling to pay attention. Touches that had started of as innocent, were now turning into something else, something that both women desperately wanted. _

_Struggling to get her breathing under control, Arizona stifled a moan at the feel of Callie's hand softly stroking the skin on her stomach. It didn't take a genius to figure out where this was going. She was turned on, and judging by the laboured breathing coming from behind her — so was Callie. Placing her hand atop a tanned one, Arizona guided it to the top of her shorts, the indication clear._

_Callie's mouth ran dry. "Are you sure?" she husked out, lips now placing open mouth kisses on the back of that delicious creamy neck._

_Arizona turned onto her back, lifting her hand out of her own t-shift, and then using it to pull Callie's face down, their lips crashing together. "Yes!" she gasped out, roughly sucking on a plump lower lip, then soothing it with her tongue._

_Silently thanking god, Callie returned the kiss, her hand blindly searching for the remote. Once she had in in her grasp, finding the correct button, whilst not looking, was a challenge. _

_Feeling Callie's hand touch something that wasn't her, Arizona forced their lips apart, her blue eyes darkened with arousal. "What are you doing?"_

_Now that she could see freely, Callie quickly pressed pause, and then noted Arizona's look of sheer amusement. "I really wanna watch it," she sheepishly stated, her head going back down to nip at Arizona's throat._

_Arizona shook her head, the laughter on her tongue turning into a moan as Callie's lips trailed over that spot on her neck, biting gently. "You can watch it tomorrow," the blonde promised, allowing Callie's hand to drift below the waistline of her panties. God, this was so much better than TV!_

"You slept with her two nights in a row?!" April looked shocked upon hearing of how one night, had quickly turned into two.

Arizona licked her lips. There wasn't really any way she could get out of this, now. "Kind of, yeah. And then the next seven days after that," she mumbled out, every word getting quieter as she said it.

April's eyes bulged out of her head. "You slept with her _nine_ times?!" She was shocked, to say the least.

Looking contemplative, Arizona drew her bottom lip between her teeth. "Well, I slept with her for _nine_ days. But I'd pretty much guarantee that it was more than nine times," she said, with an awkward laugh.

"How? I don't even know what to say." April was shocked. Not because Arizona wasn't pretty, or anything along those lines, but because the blonde hadn't even so much as glanced at another woman, in the time that they had been friends.

Arizona leaned her head back on the couch, exhaling heavily. "Yeah. Me, neither."

"She seems really nice," April offered up perkily. "Are you gonna go out with her?"

Face going void of emotion, Arizona quickly stood up from the couch. "I don't really wanna talk about it." She threw her lab coat on, and headed for the door, done with talking about Calliope.

"No!" April stood up, a look of annoyance on her face. "You can't leave it there? What happened next?"

"Lot's of things," Arizona said sadly, feeling nostalgic. "I'll tell you more, tomorrow." She waved a hand goodbye, before leaving the room.

"But you _are_ going to go out with her, right?" April shouted, groaning as the door closed before she could get an answer.

* * *

Shifting nervously in her seat, Callie shakily outstretched her hand, bringing the cup of cold water to her lips. She was sat in an interview for her dream job, and all she could think about was Arizona Robbins.

"Dr. Torres," Chief Webber said, cutting through the Latina's thoughts. "There's no need to look so nervous."

Callie nodded, then laughed a little. "Chief Webber, with all do respect, I'm sitting in an interview room, trying to score my dream job." She sat the water back down onto the table, hoping he didn't notice her shaky, unsteady hand — he wouldn't hire her as a surgeon if he saw that. "I think it's okay to be a little nervous," Callie added, bracing her elbows on her chair.

Webber smiled softly. "Dr. Torres, this isn't an interview." Callie's heart sank, but before she could ask what the hell this _was_, Webber continued. "I'm offering you the Head of department job. There are no interviews; you're the only person I want."

Callie's face paled. "What?" came the blank response.

Webber grinned at her reaction, desperate to reveal the next part. "Head of Ortho," he repeated, causing that megawatt grin to spread over Callie's face. "With..." he paused for effect. Callie sat forward on her seat. There was a _with_? "Head of Orthopedic Surgery. With the promise of your cartilage research on the side."

No, this couldn't be happening. Callie could hardly contain her excitement. "You're serious?" she grinned, fighting the urge to stand up and hug him. She was moving to Seattle, and had her dream job — this was one of the best days of her life.

"Dead serious," Webber confirmed, withdrawing a contract from one of his side drawers, and then setting it in front of his newest employee. "You're going to be the best, one day. You were Chief Resident. The scores on your boards were near perfect." He let the news sink it, giving the brunette a few seconds to breathe. "You are the _only_ person for this job, Dr. Torres," he added, giving her a genuine smile.

Closing her eyes, continuing to smile, Callie felt on top of the world. "Thank you, Sir," she gushed enthusiastically.

"You know," Webber began, sitting back on his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "You kind of remind me of another surgeon that works here."

Eyebrow raising, Callie looked intrigued. "Oh?"

Webber nodded. "You remind me of Dr. Robbins," he laughed to himself.

Callie looked a little uncomfortable. Dear god, what if this turned into one of those situations, where she became an awkward, fumbling mess, and admitted to sleeping with his Head of Peds. "Really?" She managed a tight smile.

"Really," Richard said, a little more enthusiastically than Callie would have liked. "You're both very young. Extremely driven. She was also Chief Resident at Hopkins, just like you were, at Miami."

That wasn't knew information to Callie — Arizona had already told her that — but she acted like it was. "Strange, huh?" came the strained response.

"You remember Dr. Robbins, right?" Webber inquired, unaware of the internal struggle that was going on in front of him. "You performed under her, a few months ago whilst you were here."

The words caused Callie to cough slightly. Being under Arizona Robbins, was a position Callie remember _all_ too well. "I remember, Sir," the Latina squeaked out, relieved as he finally changed the subject.

* * *

"Look who it is," Mark beamed, pulling his friend into a tight hug. "Congratulations, Cal. You deserve it."

Callie smiled, pulling out of the hug. "Thank you." She hugged Addison next, elated that she was going to be around her friends so much more, now. Miami was a lonely place — especially because of the issues with her parents. She was happy to get a fresh start.

"Congrats," Addison gushed, squeezing her friend's arm.

"Thank you," Callie breathed out. The _interview_ had only lasted around twenty minutes, but looking over all the details of the contract took another hour and a half. She was glad it was over and she could finally breath.

Mark couldn't tear the grin off his face. "So, when do you start?"

"I start in a week," Callie grinned, feeling giddy. She made a note to get the name _Seattle Grace Mercy West_ printed onto her shiny new lab coat that Arizona had bought for her.

"Where are you gonna stay?" the read head inquired.

Every thought was either about the job, or Arizona — finding a new apartment hadn't even crossed Callie's mind. "I'm just gonna stay in a hotel, until I find a place," Callie glumly revealed.

"You could live with me?" Mark offered, looking like it was the best idea ever.

Callie raised a challenging eyebrow. "With you and Lexie?" He nodded at her, and she sighed. "Mark," she touched a hand to his arm, "I honestly mean this in the nicest way possible, but I don't wanna live with you and your girlfriend."

"Yeah okay," he grumbled in agreement.

"What about with me?" Addison chimed in.

"Whilst you're up all night, having sex with that Karev guy?" Callie shot back challengingly.

Addison look away, sighing dramatically. "Fine. Stay in a hotel."

Grinning, Callie glanced down at her phone, when she heard a text come through. It was from Arizona, she noticed, immediately opening the message.

_How'd it go? I got called for a consult! Are you still here?_

Dimly registering both of her friends staring at her, with curious looks on their faces, Callie ignored them. _Are you busy?_

"Who's that?" Mark nosily inquired, intrigued by the dopey grin on Callie's face.

"None of your business," Callie retorted, not bothering to look up.

_No. I'm just heading down to the lobby. Come down and tell me how it went!_

Callie thrust her phone into her pocket. "I gotta go...do something." She turned on her heel. "I'll call you guys later!"

"Something's going on with her," Addison mumbled to herself, unaware that the _something_ in question, was the blonde doctor she had a consult with, only ten minutes ago.

* * *

"Hey," Callie called out to the back of a head of blonde hair that was facing away from her.

Arizona spun around on the spot, offering up a tight smile. "Hey," she replied softly. "How'd it go?"

"Head of Ortho, with my cartilage research on the side," Callie grinned, her day only getting better now that she was stood her with the blonde. Everything was slowly falling into place, only one thing remaining — and it, was currently displaying the most gorgeous smile Callie had ever seen.

"Congratulations," Arizona genuinely stated. She took a deep breath, before pulling Callie into a quick hug. The smell, the touch, the warmth...everything about Calliope set her on fire.

Callie frowned a little as the hug ended a little abruptly. She noticed that Arizona still looked uneasy. She knew what the problem was — or she _thought_ she did. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But can you understand why?" she pleaded desperately, hating that this had upset the blonde.

Arizona nodded frigidly, her movements robot-like. "I understand. You didn't wanna jinx it; I get it." Her gaze travelled down to those long, tanned legs on full display. She had missed those legs.

Smiling in thanks, Callie took in a nervous breath. "Listen...I don't start for another week. I have to go back to Miami and get all my stuff together," she said shakily, the nerves now creeping back in, even though she knew there was no need for nerves; the answer was obvious. "But when I get back — do you wanna go on a date with me?" She really hoped Arizona would give her an answer faster than she did last time. "I mean, I know we already had a first date. But...yeah. Do you wanna go out with me?"

_Arizona looked at the brunette intently, feeling her heart sink a little. "What's wrong? You've been quiet all day."_

_Callie turned to face the blonde, forcing a smile. "We're watching a movie — would you rather I talked during it?" It was their third day spent together, and whilst Callie was having the time of her life with Arizona — she wanted a little more. _

_"It's the leg thing isn't it," Arizona sighed out, covering up her exposed limb. "I knew it! Somebody as hot as you, can't deal with a girl that only has one leg." She should have saw this coming — it was so damn predictable. "I get it. It's totally fine," the blonde lied, her heart plummeting in her chest. _

_"Oh, will you shut up," Callie shot back harshly, shaking her head. "It's got nothing to do with you damned leg!" Feeling tense under the blonde's heavy stare, Callie pulled Arizona's hands into her own. "Let me take to out, tonight," Callie suggested unsteadily._

_Arizona was taken aback. Was that what had been on Callie's mind all day? "Like a date?" The thought made her nervous to a frightening degree. She wanted to go out with Callie more than anything, but she was afraid of people noticing her leg._

_"Like a date," Callie affirmed, softly squeezing fair hands. "Let me take you to a nice restaurant, just the two of us. We can have a nice dinner, drink wine, make-out shamelessly." Delighted to hear a laugh come from the blonde, Callie just stared, a small smile on her face. "A date. You and me. It's no —"_

_"No big deal," Arizona finished, mulling over the offer. She could wear jeans on a date, right? Unable to say no to those deep brown eyes, Arizona nodded stiffly. "Yeah, a date. I'd like that." _

_Callie released a heavy breath, heart rate finally returning to normal, upon hearing the answer she had been hoping for. "Great," the Latina beamed, giving Arizona's lips a soft kiss, before standing up. "I'm gonna go to the hotel and get dressed. I only have the jeans I wore last night."_

_Arizona watched the retreating figure, a grin plastered on her face. "Just bring your suitcase here. It's no..."_

_"No big deal," Callie cut in from her spot on the doorway. "Be ready for seven, pretty lady!"_

_A few hours later, just before Callie was supposed to arrive, Arizona stood hesitantly in front of her full length mirror. Her gaze was drawn to the slight color difference of her prosthetic and her right leg. She was wearing heels, for the first time since the crash. They were a small heel... but a heel, nonetheless._

_The bottom of her jeans showed off the bottom of her foot, and Arizona knew that if anyone glanced downwards, they would notice her prosthetic. She considered changing and putting on her boots, but she was stuck, completely undecided. She was going to halve to wear heels at one point._

_A soft knock from her bedroom door forced the blonde away from the mirror. She had sent a text to Callie, saying that she was getting ready and that the Latina could make her way inside._

_With nerves the size of Asia in her chest, Arizona opened the door. All of her doubts, all the negative thoughts, were quick to disappear as soon as she set eyes on Calliope. The brunette was painfully beautiful, and a swell of pride stirred deep in Arizona's chest, knowing this woman was her date._

_"I'm here to pick up my date. Could you go get her for me?" Callie teased lightly. Her heart was beating erratically, thumping in her chest. She had never wanted anything the way she wanted Arizona._

_Arizona casually leaned against the doorframe. "She's kinda busy just now," she played along with ease. "I could go out with you?"_

_"Well, you're not bad to look at. I suppose you'll do." Sensing something was different, Callie noticed that the blonde was a little taller, and glanced down. "You're wearing heels."_

_Smiling sadly, Arizona nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm gonna change."_

_"You look beautiful," Callie immediately stated, handing the blonde the bouquet of white roses she had in her hand. "You always look beautiful."_

_How the hell was Callie so good at getting rid of all of her insecurities? It was kind of unbelievable, Arizona thought, reaching over to grasp the flowers that were sat behind her. "You look beautiful, too," she returned the compliment, handing over the flowers._

_Callie grinned. "Pink roses?"_

_"Because red.."_

_"Is too cliché," Callie finished, biting back a grin. "That's why I got you white."_

_Returning the grin, Arizona licked her lips at the sight of that leather jacket adorning that deliciously curvy body. "You didn't wear a dress because you knew I'd be too insecure to wear one," she pointed out confidently._

_"Maybe," Callie shrugged, stepping into Arizona's personal space. "Doesn't matter, though." She wrapped a finger around a loose curl of blonde hair, the feeling silky and soft on her fingertips. "You ready to go?"_

_"Absolutely." Arizona leaned in for a kiss, groaning in annoyance when Callie pulled away, right before the good part. "Really?"_

_Callie grasped a fair hand, entwining their fingers. "No tongue until after the dates over."_

_Laughing heartily, Arizona didn't even notice that she still had her heels on._

Callie had waited months for this moment, anxiously looking forward to the day she finally got to take her relationship with Arizona further — and it was finally here! Made even better by the fact that she had just scored the job she had been waiting for her whole life. Nothing could go wrong for Callie, today.

_Nothing._

Arizona knew it was coming. She had been preparing for it since she saw Callie, and she had her response drilled into her brain. "I'm super flattered, Calliope. Really, _really_ flattered." She plastered on a fake grin, pushing past the ache that was occurring low in her chest. "But I'm gonna have to say no. I'm sorry," the blonde declined. She felt physically sick; this wasn't how it was supposed to go.

A huge burst of laughter broke from Callie's lips, but it was promptly cut short when she noticed that Arizona wasn't laughing with . Why wasn't Arizona laughing? "You're kidding, right?" If this was a joke, it really wasn't funny. "This is one of those situations where you say something sarcastic, and then I'll say something even _more_ sarcastic, and then we'll just laugh about it. It's like that, right?" Callie basically begged, her face draining of all its color, as Arizona shook her head. This could not be happening.

Arizona looked away, not trusting herself to look at Callie without bursting into tears. "I'm just — I'm really focused on work, and I'm not really dating, right now." She gave an upwards glance, meeting devastated chocolate brown eyes. The look broke her heart, she couldn't imagine how Callie was feeling. But this was for Callie's own good. "I'm super proud of you for getting the job, by the way. I knew you'd get it," Arizona encouraged, forcing her hands into her pockets, refraining herself from reaching out and touching the gorgeous woman.

When Arizona made the move to walk away, Callie stepped in front of her, blocking the exit. "You're _kidding_ me, right?" She was fuming, confused, hurt. Every heart breaking feeling that could be felt — Callie was currently feeling it. "You already went out with me!" she reminded loudly, confusion and so many other things present in her voice.

"I know." Arizona carefully stepped around Callie, careful not to touch her. "You really gave me my confidence back, and you have no idea how much that means to me. But I'm sorry, Callie," the blonde apologized earnestly, slowly retreating to the exit. "I'd really like to still be your friend, though." Making sure to not falter, Arizona gave one last fake smile, and then made her way through the exit of the hospital.

Once the blonde was clear, she let a sob wrack her entire body. She had just made the worst decision of her life, but it was completely necessary. And completely for Calliope's own good. She really hoped that one day when Callie had moved on from her, the brunette would understand why she turned her down.

Callie slumped back onto the nearest wall, unable to come to terms with what had just happened. She thought the day in the airport was bad, but this — the crushed feeling inside her chest — took heart-break to a whole new level.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

**Fast update. Trust me, I'm shocked, too! For those of you who hate me, please remember that Callie and Arizona _will_ be together. This is a journey of Arizona overcoming her demons and letting Callie love _her_. I've purposely made the flashbacks happy, so you guys have _some_ fluff. When this story is finished, you'll look back on this chapter and laugh. Please look at it like that haha. I promise that Callie will find out what Arizona is doing super quick; it won't be dragged out! Loving all the ****reviews, follows, favs. You guys are the best!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters ya'll.**

* * *

Callie was about to snap. If Arizona looked at her _one_ more time, she was going to snap. She had been in Seattle for five days, today marking the third case she had worked with the blonde. She thought she was imagining it at first, when she happened to catch the gaze of blue eyes every time she looked up. But Callie had quickly learned that the stolen looks and glances that were coming from Arizona, were not all in her head. Because Arizona would not stop staring at her.

It was annoying and irritating, and after the way Arizona had shot her down so callously, she didn't have a right to be looking at Callie. Callie had received several text messages from Arizona, ever since she got the job, but the Latina made a point of ignoring every single one of them. And the worst part of it was, no natter how angry Callie wanted to be at Arizona, she missed the woman a great deal. They had spoken every day, for the past four months, and now they were just...colleagues.

It sucked. But Callie Torres wasn't the emotional type who cried over girls. No, Callie Torres was a hardcore badass, who didn't have time for women who were going to mess with her head. So, she was done with Arizona.

Done.

"Okay." Callie finally looked up from the notes that she had been scribbling in, meeting her patients eyes. "Do you have any questions about the surgery?"

The Patient — a teenage girl named Britney, who had talked only talked about how hot Dr. Avery was — looked at Callie like she was speaking a foreign language. "What do you mean questions? Do I have to read up on this surgery?" she asked dimly, not having a clue what was going on. Neither did her friend, Allanah, who was, once again, updating her Twittter account.

Callie fought the strong urge to roll her eyes. Teenage girls were not her thing. "No, you don't have to read up on anything," she informed, trying her best not to sound frustrated. She thought she heard a snicker come from Arizona, but chose to ignore it, staying focused on the patient. "I mean — do you understand everything that I'm going to be doing?"

"My leg's broke," Britney dumbly stated, her voice full of attitude. "Aren't you just going to fix it?"

This girl was enough to put Callie of wanting kids — it was like having a conversation with a tree. "Yes, I am."

"Am I gonna have a scar?" Britney asked frighteningly, clutching her heart as if she was in pain.

"You'll have a small scar on your shin," Arizona stepped in, confirming the girls worst fears.

Britney dropped her head into her hands. "Oh my god!" The friend was quick to hug her, whispering reassurances in her ear. "How am I going to wear shorts?" the brunette yelled accusingly. "I'm a cheerleader!"

"Of course you are," Callie mumbled out quietly, through a heavy, frustrated sigh. "The scar is going to be the size of your pinky, okay. It's not the end of the world; you can still wear shorts.

"I can't even imagine what you're going through," Allanah laid on the sympathy, softly touching her friend's arm. "You are being so strong."

Callie and Arizona shared a look of disbelief. And Arizona was over the moon, because it was the first time Callie had looked at her like she didn't want to kill her. _Progress_.

"I know," Britney nodded, crocodile tears filling her eyes. She looked up at her two doctors, perking up a little on her bed. "I'm getting, like, a really weird vibe, from the two of you."

Allanah's mouth fell open dramatically. "No way! I swear, I was _just_ thinking that," the smaller girl gushed.

"Oh my god," Arizona groaned to herself. She looked at Callie, completely unsurprised to see that the Latina wasn't even giving her a half glance. It was clear that Calliope was beyond fuming with her, and she knew that the brunette wouldn't give in. Nothing really seemed to be going her way, right now.

"Yeah, that's great," Callie said shortly. "Anyway!"

The girls weren't giving in, both set on finding an answer. "Are you guys together?" Britney inquired, tilting her head to gaze at them both.

"No!" Callie scoffed harshly. _Being together_ was the farthest thing from what the two of them were. Arizona was looking at Callie, a look of hurt on her face. But Callie wasn't bowing down. Arizona hadn't cared when she hurt Callie, so Callie wasn't caring, now.

"Did one of you sleep with the others husband?" Alannah chimed in. Both girls were now giggling freely as a heavy silence lurked between the doctors.

"Nobody slept with anybody!" Arizona insisted adamantly. She knew Callie well enough to know that she wasn't finding this even a little bit funny.

The two girls shared a mutual nod. "You slept with each other, didn't you?" Britney nodded her head confidently, looking smug. Allanah soon joined in, both of the young women now looking at the doctors quizzically.

If two teenage girls — not even the brightest girls — could figure out that something had happened between them, Callie guessed that it wouldn't be long before the entire hospital found out. Arizona had once told her that the nurses at Seattle Grace Mercy West knew everything about everyone.

"Nobody had sex with anybody!" Callie argued defensively. How did of a Head of Department end up having an argument with two teenage girls, over her sex life with Arizona Robbins? Just..._how_?

"Liar!" Allanah whispered quietly, making her friend giggle giddily.

Done with the conversation, Callie gathered up her chart. "I'll see you in the OR. Try not to do more damage than you've already done." Heading to the door, she didn't bother looking back to see if the blonde had followed her. But the footsteps she heard behind her, a few seconds later, gave it away.

"Teenagers, right?" Arizona caught up with Callie, awkwardly standing next to the Latina at the nurses station.

Completely focused on signing off her chart, Callie didn't acknowledge the blonde's presence, keeping her eyes trained downwards. She just hummed in response, hoping that Arizona would take the obvious hint, and disappear. But a minute later, Arizona was still standing there. Slamming her chart closed, Callie met those deep blue eyes. "What do you want, Arizona?" she practically spat, her face void of emotion, arms crossed over her chest.

Seeing Callie mad at her, made Arizona feel like crap. But this was all her own doing, and she now had to deal with the fall out. "Callie, I thought we were going to be friends?" Those dark, expressive eyes that Arizona loved were normally so warm and caring, but all that was present in them right now, was frustration and anger. And it was all being aimed at her.

Callie laughed bitterly, her hand tightening its grip on the pen she was holding. "Uh, _you_ said we were going to be friends!" she shot back in annoyance. She was past the point of caring if anyone was listening to them. "I didn't agree to us being friends, Arizona."

"Calliope," Arizona sighed heavily, not getting the chance to finish.

"No!" Callie snapped in anger. "You do _not_ get to call me that, anymore!" It was awful, Callie knew that, but she still loved the way her full name fell from Arizona's lips. God, especially in the bedroom — Arizona always said her name with so much desire... so much want. "We're not friends, Arizona," Callie revealed coldly, before walking away in the opposite direction.

Closing her eyes in defeat, Arizona slumped forward onto the nurses station, bracing her elbows on the cool base. It felt like she had made a mistake. Turning Callie down had been necessary, but everything felt wrong. Things were different, and Arizona couldn't help but wish that things could go back to being easy...just like it was four months ago.

_Reverently running her hands down to cup the blonde's ass, Callie gave the taught muscle a firm squeeze. "Your ass feels different," she groaned out, her eyes fluttering closed at the feel of Arizona's teeth nipping and sucking at her neck._

_Arizona laughed, continuing to straddle the taller woman on the couch. "That's because the only thing we've consumed in the past five days, is junk food." Normally, she ate relatively healthily, but they had been eating whatever the hell they wanted, the past few days. She'd lost a lot of weight after the crash, though, so she wasn't really caring. "Is that your way of telling me that my ass is fat?" she gasped in mock offence, sitting back to look at Callie._

_"What?! No!" Callie flailed, thankful when Arizona only grinned playfully at her, those gorgeous dimples beaming down at her. "Your ass does not quit." She gave the blonde's behind a firm smack, emphasising her point._

_It wasn't something that had ever got her going, but everything Callie did to her seemed to get Arizona going. "Bedroom. Now!" the blonde commanded, pulling back to strap on her leg that was setting up against the table._

_Pulling Arizona back into her, Callie sat forward, Arizona now sitting precociously on the edge of her lap. She made a move to stand up, but Arizona held her ground._

_"You can't lift me," Arizona laughed, tangling her fingers around a tanned, smooth neck, fingertips tickling the skin._

_Callie looked more than a little offended. "I'm sorry. Are you doubting my Ortho strength?" That eyebrow was raised challengingly, brown eyes glaring into sparkling blue._

_Arizona steadied herself on Callie's lap. "What if you drop me, and I break my other leg?"_

_Rolling her eyes in amusement, Callie heaved them both upwards in one quick motion, losing her balance a little once she got to her feet. "How mad would you be if I dropped you?"_

_Instinctively tightening her leg around Callie's waist, Arizona laughed heartily into the side of the Latina's neck. "Please don't drop me!" the blonde pleaded, now laughing uncontrollably as Callie began to walk on unsteady feet. _

_With blonde hair obscuring her vision, Callie back the blonde into the wall of the foyer. "Move your hair!"_

_"Callie!" Arizona squealed out through her laughter, feeling herself begin to slip from the strong grip. "You're gonna drop me." Despite the fact that she could crash to the floor at any second, Arizona was having so much fun. Every that happened with Callie, was so easy, so carefree._

_Callie dropped her head to the wall, resting her chin on Arizona's shoulder. "I ca...can't," she stuttered out, unable to get her free throwing laughter under control. She loved the sound of Arizona's laughter more than anything. And, right now, it was like music to her ears. "We can sleep out here tonight."_

_Arizona gasped loudly as Callie began to walk them into her bedroom. "A few more steps. Hurry up!"_

_Throwing Arizona onto the bed, Callie immediately fell on top of her, the sound of their combined laughter ringing out through the bedroom. "It looks a lot easier when you see people doing it on TV," the Latina laughed out into Arizona's neck._

_Arizona's wrapped her arms around Callie's middle, enjoying the feel of the warm body on top of her. "I thought you had mad Ortho strength, Torres." Her blue eyes were beaming, full of mischief and happiness, the grin on her face matching them perfectly. "Because it really doesn't seem like you have any strength," she chastised teasingly._

_"I hate you," Callie grunted out, nuzzling softly into Arizona's neck. She really liked cuddling with Arizona. Really liked it._

* * *

"I can't believe we're at a bar on Valentine's day," Callie groaned, downing a shot of tequila, hoping it would take her mind off the blonde who was sat at the opposite side of the bar with April Kepner. "Could we be more pathetic?"

Addison grimaced, her movements somewhat shaky as she brought her third glass of red wine to her lips. "I really don't think we could be," the red head agreed, the words slightly slurred. "How did our lives get to a point where _Mark Sloan_ has a date on Valentine's Day, and we don't?"

"I really have no idea." When Callie found out that she was going to be in Seattle, for Valentine's Day, she had immediately jumped the gun, convincing herself that she was going to be spending it with Arizona. But things hadn't exactly gone quite to plan.

"Would you judge me if I texted Karev, for sex?" Addison looked desperate. And a little horny.

Callie downed another shot. There was no way this was her Valentine's day...just no fucking way. "Yes! I would judge you immensely." Once again, she could just _feel_ Arizona looking at her from across the bar.

"I can't be alone on Valentine's day," Addison whined, looking like she was in actual physical pain. "I just can't do it!"

"Ugh, I hate Mark. And I hate everybody that's happy!" Callie threw her head back dramatically. She hated this stupid holiday. "I'm never celebrating Valentine's day ever, _ever_ again," she promised, with a sigh.

Addison continued to gulp her wine, like it was water and she had just spent a month in the desert. "We're gonna die alone."

Across the bar, April and Arizona were experiencing the same dilemma. "Would it be bad if I texted Jackson?" the red head tapped her fingers nervously, contemplating the idea.

"You're gonna booty-call him, on Valentine's day?" Arizona gave a small laugh. She wanted to be at home — _alone_. But April had managed to coarse her into coming out for a few drinks. She was glad she did, because Calliope was here — and that meant the Latina didn't have a Valentine's date.

April already had her phone in her hand. "Don't judge me!"

"Totally judging you," Arizona replied sharply. She glanced over to the corner, perking up at little when she noticed that Callie was looking back at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Alex approaching Callie and Addison's table.

Callie had honestly had enough of this crap. Tearing her gaze away from pleading blue eyes, she mumbled to Addison and Karev that she was going to the bathroom, not that they had even noticed, anyway. She hoped that Addison would go home with Karev, so she would be able to go back to her hotel room and get the hell away from Arizona Robbins.

Once in the safety of the bathroom, she splashed some cold water on her face, then quickly patted it dry with a paper towel. The door opened, and Callie didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

"Hey," came the soft, angelic voice.

Depositing the paper towel into the nearest bin, Callie looked up at the blonde. "Hey," she returned the gesture, surprising both of them.

"Callie, can we please talk?" Arizona pleaded desperately. She didn't even know what she was planning to say, but the need to be_ near_ Callie was so overwhelming. This wasn't helping any of them.

"I'm not the clingy type of girl." Crossing her arms over her chest, Callie leaned back onto the wall, a distant, longing look on her face. "I'm not the type of girl who pines after people. But I'm just..." she cut herself off, eyebrows drawn together in anger. "I'm just _so_ confused. And I want an explanation."

Oh, shit. Arizona swallowed heavily. Callie looked really, really mad — even madder than what she did when Arizona turned her down. Following Calliope into the bathroom had not been thought through well. "Callie, it's got nothing to do with you."

"Don't bullshit me, Arizona!" Callie snapped, brown eyes lit up in anger. She wasn't leaving this bathroom until she got a decent explanation. "I want a reason — a decent reason. And you're gonna give it to me."

Arizona's face morphed into a look of pure sadness. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you."

Callie wasn't believing a thing that was leaving the blonde's mouth. "Is that just what you do? Do you just go around making people fall for you, and then shoot them down as soon as they wanna take things further." The words felt good, like ripping off a band aid. She had been wanting to confront Arizona for days.

The defensive walls that Arizona had erected, over the past few months, were back up in a flash. Although she had no right to be, Arizona was getting pissed. "That's a lie!"

"Is it?!" Callie yelled, springing off the wall. "How many other girls have you played, just like you played me?!" She couldn't control herself. Words...feelings...everything was spilling out.

"Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that!" Arizona's eyes flashed with a look of pure rage. Her entire body was fuming — how could Callie think that of her? "You know you're the only girl I've been with, since the crash," the blonde angrily reminded, subconsciously taking another step closer.

A bitter laugh escaped from Callie's lips, the sound sending a chill through the air. "You just...used me. And led me on." Callie said sadly, that devastated look now back on her face. The truth hit her like a bullet — Arizona had used her. How...how could she have been so stupid?

"No I didn't!" Arizona promised, stepping forward, bringing the distance between them to a mere 2ft. "I didn't use you. I wouldn't do that to you." She could never, ever to that to Calliope; the woman meant so much to her.

"Then why?" Callie demanded sternly. Those pink lips looked so soft and inviting — she really wanted to kiss them. She really wanted to kiss Arizona. "Tell me why you won't go out with me?"

Looking away from those penetrating brown eyes, Arizona let out a shaky breath, her resolve so close to breaking. Callie could break her so damn easily. And that's exactly what the problem was. "I can't do this, Calliope," she unevenly stated, her voice hovering on the edge of breaking.

Squaring her jaw, Callie shook her head, taking a step backwards. She looked dead into watery blue eyes, knowing this wasn't over between, "Happy Valentine's day, Arizona." She forced herself to walk away, going back to the table to nurse her broken heart.

Arizona dropped her head, the smell of Calliope's sweet perfume lingering in the air.

Happy Valentine's Day, indeed.

* * *

"It's just a little weird," Addison explained, with a nonchalant shrug. "You've been here almost two weeks, and you still haven't found an apartment. You need to get out of that hotel."

Although Mark and Addison moaned at her every single day, Callie still hadn't bothered to search for a new apartment. "I know," she sighed in agreement. Flipping open the local paper, she turned to the _Apartment Listings_ page. "I need something close because my car still hasn't been shipped up from Miami."

"I can't believe you still have that car," Mark said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Callie ignored the comment. She could have strangled Addison for what her friend did next.

"Arizona!" Addison yelled, spotting the blonde looking for a place to sit in the cafeteria. "Over here." She waved her hand dramatically, pointing the chair that was, of course, straight across from Callie.

If it didn't hurt so much, Callie would have thought the situation was kind of funny. Everyone around them was completely clueless to what had happened between her and the blonde that was slowly making her way over to their table. Mark would have a fit if he found out. He had specifically told her not to hook up with Arizona. And Callie kind of wished she had listened to him — it would have saved all the heart-break.

Swallowing thickly, Arizona stepped up to the front of the table. "Hey," the blonde greeted, discreetly focusing her gaze on Callie. She hadn't seen Calliope since their run in on Valentine's day, two days ago. It was painfully clear that the brunette was avoiding her.

"Robbins," Mark smirked, always happy to see the blonde. "Sit down."

It was hard not to notice the scowl on Calliope's face. "No, it's okay," she politely declined, hoping Mark and Addison couldn't pick up on the clear tension that was present. "I'm just gonna go sit in my office."

"Don't be crazy," Addison brushed the blonde off dismissively. She pointed to several papers that were thrown across the lunch table, taking up space, "Callie, move your crap and let the woman sit down!"

Callie glared at Addison, and then at Arizona. Knowing she couldn't get around this without looking like an arrogant bitch, she threw on a fake smile, aggressively snatching the papers over to her own side of the table. Now she had to sit with Arizona at lunch; this situation could not get any worse.

Breaking the weird, lingering silence, Addison indicated between the two women sitting across from each other. "You two don't really know each other, do you?"

Brown eyes met with blue, a shared look of nervousness passing between them. "No," Callie decided, looking straight at the blonde. "We don't know each other, _at all_!" It was a lie. Callie guessed that she knew Arizona better than Mark and Addison did. She knew that Arizona's favorite color was orange. She knew that if Arizona did that tapping thing with her fingers, it meant the blonde was nervous about something. She knew that Arizona _hated_ the shortening of her name. She knew that Arizona loved it when Callie tickled her neck because it put her to sleep almost instantly. She knew _a lot_ about Arizona. And, yet, somehow, Callie felt like they were complete strangers.

Neither Mark, nor Addison, seemed to notice the anger lurking in those deep brown eyes. But Arizona did notice. She could always tell what Callie was feeling, just by looking into those gorgeous chocolate orbs. Knowing she'd have to agree, a grimace-y smile formed on her face. "No. We don't know each other."

Addison sat up straighter in her chair. "Arizona, your apartment has two bedrooms, right?" The question made Callie drop the pen that she was holding, but the red head never thought anything of it. When the blonde nodded in confusion, Addison gave a wide grin. "Callie's looking for an apartment. Are you interested in a roommate?" she asked innocently, thinking her idea was genius.

Forcing her attention away from the paper she was reading, Callie's mouth dropped. "No! No! No!" Awkward, uncontrollable laughter poured out from the Latina's mouth, as she adamantly shook her head from side to side. That was the best thing she had heard all day.

Arizona noticed Addison was looking at Callie with suspicion, so she cut in before any questions could be asked. "I'm not really looking for a roommate. I'm kind of anal, anyway, so I don't think I'm the best choice," she said with humour, hoping the subject would immediately be dropped. She wondered where Calliope was staying at the moment.

"Right. Yeah," Addison hummed, her gaze drifting between the two women, who were looking away from each other. Something wasn't right.

Something caught Arizona's eye. And when she saw it — it ripped her apart. Calliope wasn't wearing the lab coat that Arizona had bought for her. The white material covering the Latina's body, was the standard edition of lab coat that every surgeon received from the hospital. The writing on the breast was simple and plain, not elegant and fancy, like the one Arizona had spent time choosing. It was clear to her that Callie was mad, but Arizona really didn't expect this.

Sensing blue eyes staring at her, Callie followed their gaze to her own collarbone. And she instantly knew what the problem was, knew what was making Arizona look like she had just been forcefully slapped across the face. She hated that it bothered her. But seeing Arizona look so upset, seeing her beautiful blue eyes look so sullen, really got to Callie.

"You can live with me," came the dull voice from behind Callie.

Recognizing the voice, but struggling to place a face on it, Callie spun around on her chair. "You want me to live with you?" She recognized the woman immediately as Cristina Yang, hardcore Cardio Resident. She didn't know anything about the woman, other than the fact that she was probably the most scalpel hungry person in the entire hospital.

"Sure." Cristina gave a nonchalant shrug, not looking at all bothered by who was going to live in her apartment.

Although the first thought in Callie's head, was a resounding _no! _The more Callie took a few seconds to think about it, the more Cristina Yang seemed like the perfect roommate. It was wildly know that the resident was always at the hospital, which meant she was hardly ever at home. And Callie figured that she would have to live close to the hospital. She wouldn't be surprised if Cristina revealed that she actually lived _in_ the hospital. "Where do you live?"

"I live right across the street," Cristina revealed, nodding at Mark. "Across the hall from Sloan, actually."

For the love of — why were people forcing her to be near Arizona Robbins. Mark lived three floors above Arizona, which also meant _Cristina_ lived three floors above Arizona. Callie couldn't live in the same building as Arizona. Seeing Arizona, whilst she was feeling this down about what had happened between them, absolutely wasn't a possibility.

Finding the scrunched up look on Calliope's face more than adorable, Arizona offered the Latina a small smile. "The apartment is really nice," she said quietly, almost sounding a little scared of Callie's reaction. "You'd really like it."

Making a point to blatantly ignore Arizona, Callie gave Cristina a thankful smile, shaking her head. "Thanks for the offer. But I'll pass."

"Yang! Stay!" Mark called out, just as the resident was about to walk away from the table. "Cal, what the hell?" He look at his friend, confused by her reaction to turning down the perfect option. "This is perfect! It's right across from work. It's right next to me. It's not that far from Addison's. Why the hell would you ever turn that down?"

Callie opened her mouth to respond, but upon realizing that she didn't actually have a reason for turning down the offer, she then closed it. There was no way of getting around this, she knew that, and so, she decided to give in. "Fine. I'll go view the apartment," she groaned, closing the paper shut.

"Great," Cristina stated unenthusiastically. "I'll be in tonight, around eight. So come by then." She made the move to walk away, but quickly turned back around. "And bring some food."

Later that night, Callie was stood in the middle of Cristina's living room, a wide smile on her face. "This place is great!" She had almost managed to forget that it was in the same building as Arizona; the apartment was _that_ nice. The layout was similar compared to Mark's apartment, but the décor was entirely different. It wasn't expected, but Callie found herself to be a fan of Cristina's taste. The apartment was modern and edgy, not at all similar to the Easter basket Arizona lived in downstairs.

"You like it?" Cristina entered the living room, handing over a cool beer to her potential new roomie.

Taking a sip from the refreshing beverage, Callie nodded. "I really like it."

Cristina flopped down onto the couch. "I'm hardly ever here," the resident revealed, glancing around her apartment. "I'm either at the hospital, or at Mer's, or Owen's. He's here sometimes, too."

Sitting herself down in the trendy chair opposite the TV, Callie was torn in two. Cristina was basically telling her that she could have her own apartment. And even if Owen Hunt was sometimes here, Callie didn't mind; he seem like a decent enough guy. And anyway, it wasn't like she would _always_ be running into Arizona. As far as Callie knew, the blonde wasn't close with Cristina, and only ever hung out at Mark's if there was an event or party going on.

"Okay," Callie decided, grinning. "Screw it, yeah. Let's do it."

"Great." Cristina raised her beer for an _air click. _"Do you need some help moving?"

People didn't have a lot of nice things to say about Cristina — words from Cristina herself — but Callie was finding that the resident wasn't all that bad. "That would actually be really great."

Offering a small nod, Cristina stood up, and went into the kitchen. She returned a few seconds later, a piece of paper in hand. "Here's the number for this really cheap moving company.

Callie rolled her eyes. "That's great. Thank you," she mumbled sarcastically, accepting the piece of paper, anyway.

"So, what's your deal?" Cristina looked at her new roommate with eager eyes. "You married? Single? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Virgin? Sleeping with anybody at the hospital? Widowed?"

Maybe living with Cristina Yang wasn't such a great idea. "Wow. You really get straight to the point, don't you?" Callie laughed, taking another sip from her beer. She had the sudden urge to text Arizona and tell the blonde that she had a new apartment, but quickly remembered that they weren't speaking.

"You gonna answer the question?" Cristina pressed, her face blank.

Straight to the point, indeed, Callie thought. "Single. Not sleeping with anybody?" And currently presenting with a severe broken heart because of the woman three floors down.

"Gimme more than that?" Cristina whined, crossing her legs over to sit up further. "You're a total chick lover, aren't you?" She gave a confident smirk.

Callie let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, whatever," she conceded with a wave of her hand.

Cristina only looked on knowingly. "You would totally go well with Roller Girl?"

Was that some sort of new pop singer? Callie had never heard of this person. "Who the hell is that?"

"Robbins," Cristina answered, like it was completely obvious. "Head of Peds?"

Callie didn't need Cristina Yang to tell her who Arizona Robbins was. "Yeah, I know who she is." She was confused by the nickname, though. "Why do you call her Roller Girl?"

"Uh, she used to wear Heeley's before she lost her leg," Cristina sounded a little sad, her teasing tone gone. "We used to all tease her about it, but her patients loved it."

Sitting back on her chair, the feeling soft on her back, Callie digested what Cristina had just told her. She didn't know that about Arizona, but it was just such an _Arizona_ thing to do. The sweet, cute revelation only made her miss the blonde more. It had been two weeks since they'd had a proper conversation, and her life felt a little empty without Arizona in it.

Sensing that the brunette's demeanour had changed a little, Cristina changed the subject. "So, you wanna talk about rent? That's always fun."

Around an hour later, Callie was in the elevator of her new apartment building, heading back to her hotel for the last night. With a heavy, drawn out yawn forcing itself out of her mouth, she slumped back in the elevator, feeling her day catch up with her. When the elevator stopped at the Ground Floor, she stepped forward to make her way out, walking straight into an all too familiar face.

Arizona smiled softly, her heart rate speeding up at the sight of the gorgeous brunette. "Hi." She dropped her head in sadness as Callie ignored her, once again, and stepped around her. This was hell. "Did you take the apartment?" she called out in a last attempt, hoping Callie would turn around.

Callie froze, halfway down the lobby. Shaking her head, she turned around, a pained look on her face. "Does it really matter?"

Sighing, Arizona watched the Latina walk out of the lobby, and into the cold, dark night. For the same time in just about as many days, Arizona felt tears begin to roll down her face.

* * *

The next night, Arizona was on her way out of the hospital lobby, about to head home, but the conversation she happened to here coming from the two nurses behind her, completely stopped her in her tracks.

What she heard, made her blood run cold.

"The last thing I heard, was that Torres was out cold," one of the voices was heard saying.

"I heard it was really bad," the next voice said.

Arizona couldn't breath, couldn't force air into her lungs. There was on one Dr. Torres at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Ca-Callie. Something awful had happened to Callie.

Turning to face the two nurses, Arizona's face was whiter than snow. "What happened to Dr. Torres?!" the blonde demanded, her voice in a state of pure panic.

The nurse paused, shocked by the tone in the normally calm Dr. Robbins' voice. "She, um — she slipped in the ER and hit her head pretty bad. Dr. Shephard was sending her for a CT. That's all I know."

Not needing to hear anymore, Arizona bolted to the nearest elevator, her mind immediately imagining the worst possible scenario. Shephard was the best neurosurgeon in the whole country. If he was with Callie...

Clenching her eyes shut, Arizona couldn't begin to think about what had happened. In a matter of seconds, but what really felt hours, the blonde was heading towards the nurses station.

"Karev," Arizona called out shakily, spotting him heading down the hall. "Where's Dr. Torres?" She could feel the moisture on her cheeks, too panicked to actually care about it, though.

Alex looked at his boss uncomfortably. "Dude, are you crying?" He was glad they were no longer in the no speaking phase, like they were right after he had cut her leg off.

"Alex," the blonde yelled, her voice cracking. "Where's Callie?"

Not one to argue with a crying woman, Alex pointed to the room down the hall. "Down the hall with Addison. Tell Torres she cost me sex, tonight," he grumbled out, watching the blonde take off down the hall. It was the first time he had seen anything as close to a run from his boss, since she lost her leg.

There was some comfort in Alex's words. He had told her to _tell_ Callie; that meant Callie was at least consciousness. Spotting a flash of distinctive raven hair through the window, Arizona burst through the door, a little out of breath. "Oh, thank god," she breathed out unevenly when she saw that Callie was sitting up in bed.

Callie frowned, the movement making her head hurt. "Why are _you_ here?" the Latina spat aggressively, barely managing to sit up in the bed without feeling dizzy. She was embarrassed for Arizona to see her like this.

Not paying any acknowledgement to the anger present in that husky voice, Arizona strode forward, her hands reaching out to touch the cut on a tanned head. "You needed stitches." Her hand moved reverently over the small cut, whilst the other found its place on Callie's shoulder. "What happened?" she softly inquired, only to have her hands immediately shoved away.

Callie moved away from the soothing touch, hating that Arizona's hands on her body — even in her injured, pissed off state — still felt amazing. "I fell," she revealed with a groan, squaring her jaw. "Slipped on some blood in the ER, and hit my head."

Arizona gave her a sympathetic look, forcing herself to take a step back. "Are you okay?"

"Don't pretend like you give a crap, Arizona," Callie scoffed, her head shaking in annoyance.

"I do care!" Arizona insisted, looking like she had just been slapped. "How could you even say that?" Her voice was small, insecure.

Callie only looked away.

And that's when Arizona's resolve broke.

"I care about you _so_ much, Callie," Arizona revealed, her blue eyes brimming with tears. She took a chance and sat down on the bed. "You don't think I want to go out with you? Because I do," she painfully revealed, reaching out to softly touch a tanned hand.

Callie's act of _ignoring Arizona _was gone in an instant. "Then why did you turn me down?" She wanted to pull her hand away, but Arizona's touch...it just felt too good, too perfect. When Arizona dropped her head, Callie sat up further. "Tell me the truth, Arizona," she begged, gripping the blonde's hand tight in her own.

The act was over, and there was nothing Arizona could do about it. "I've been getting really bad Phantom Limb pain, the past few months," she revealed in a whisper, scooting closer to Callie. "Sometimes...it's unbearable...awful." Out of habit when talking about her leg, blue eyes drifted down to look at her left leg, covered by dark blue jeans. "I don't want you to have to deal with that crap, Callie," she said, pleading for Callie to understand why she was doing this.

Leaning into Arizona's body, Callie placed a soft hand upon her left leg. "Why didn't you tell me?" It was so, so obvious now. She should have expected this; Arizona was too damn stubborn, sometimes.

"I knew you would worry," came the blonde's quiet, sullen response.

Callie reached up to brush the barely-there tears away from Arizona's face. "So you thought you'd just save me the hassle, and turn me down?"

Arizona nodded sadly, her body instinctively responding to Callie's touch. "Yeah," she admitted quietly.

Callie blew out a heavy breath. "You're a pain in my ass, Robbins," she said teasingly, the life suddenly back in her dark brown eyes. Blue eyes locked with her own, making Callie sigh. "You lied to me. And I'm pissed — I'm really, really pissed, Arizona."

"I know you are," Arizona replied quickly, pushing some blood-stained hair away from that gorgeous face. "I never wanted to hurt you, please believe that," she desperately pleaded, clutching Callie's hand in a death grip. "You're my best friend...my rock. You got me through so much, and the past two weeks without you, has been hell."

Despite being so, so mad at Arizona for not telling her the truth, Callie could understand why the blonde had done it. She knew Arizona had issues that were out of her control. "You don't scare me, Arizona." Sliding down the bed a little, Callie wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist, pulling her close. "I'm not going to run," the Latina earnestly promised, her voice begging for Arizona to believe her.

"You don't know how bad it is, Callie. You can't promise that." The frustrated tears began to spill down her cheeks, Callie quick to wipe them away. "What if we end up together, and then you leave." She searched Callie's face, looking for answers that were not there. "I can't take another loss, Callie! And I couldn't survive if I lost you."

Callie didn't know what she was supposed to say. The problems were clearly drilled into Arizona's head, no way of getting them out. "You wouldn't lose me," she adamantly insisted, knowing she was coming up empty.

"I can't think about being with you, without thinking that it's going to get too much for you, and you're going to end up walking away from me. How is it fair for you to be in a relationship like that?" It was something Arizona couldn't stop thinking about...Callie leaving her. "You deserve better than that, Calliope."

Callie was fighting a losing battle, that part was now clear. "I don't want better." She could feel her throat closing up, knowing that Arizona wasn't going to change her mind. "I want you," Callie whispered, her voice full of heartbreak.

"I want you, too. More than I've ever wanted anything in my whole life," Arizona admitted in return, locking eyes with teary brown. "I'm scared to love you...because all I can think about is _losing_ you. I can't get that thought out my head long enough to be with you."

Falling back onto the bed, Callie breathed out heavily through her tears, the pain in her chest almost unbearable. "I-I have things that you don't like." It was the only thing she could think of, and even then, she knew it was useless. "I always breath really loudly in your ear. And I...I take up all the space...on your side of the bed," she mumbled out pleadingly.

Arizona shook her head with a laugh. "I _love_ those things about you," the blonde insisted, moving forward to cup Callie's cheek softly.

_Feeling that warm, curvy body cuddle into her from behind, Arizona closed her eyes, waiting for what she knew was about come. When it did, she laughed into the side of her pillow. "You breath really loudly. Did you know that?"_

_Callie purposely slowed down her breathing, a blush creeping up the side of her face. "What?!"_

_"It's just," Arizona began, turning around to face the stunned looking woman. "You're a really loud breather." The mortified look on Callie's face was the cutest thing the blonde had ever seen. "It's sort of like a lawnmower. And you take up every square inch of the bed."_

_Setting her jaw, Callie's eyebrows drew together. "A lawnmower," she repeated in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?!" She moved back to her own side of the bed, putting some space between them_

_Arizona laughed at the move from the brunette. "A really, really cute lawnmower," she tried to reason. It was becoming clear that Callie wasn't taking the joking comment as well as Arizona would have liked. "You look kinda mad."_

_"You just compared me to an instrument that cuts grass!" Callie just gaped, moving far away from Arizona to the other side of the bed. "You know what — It's fine. I'll stick to my side of the bed, and you stick to yours."_

_Laughing, Arizona watched as the Latina turned away from her. "Callie." No answer. "Callie." Moving behind the taller woman, she spooned the rigid body from behind, her lips reaching out to softly kiss the smooth skin on Callie's neck. "Callie," she whispered out, slipping her hand inside the pajama top to stroke a firm stomach. "I think it's really endearing. And I really like that you're such an adorable dork."_

_Knowing Arizona couldn't see, Callie smiled into her pillow. "Go back to your own side!"_

_Forcing the strong body onto its back, Arizona smoothly straddled Callie's hips. "Let me make it up to you," she husked out, leaning down to place open-mouthed kisses along a caramel collarbone. "Anything you want."_

_Callie's eyes lit up. "Really?"_

_"Mhmm-hmmm," Arizona hummed out, moving to kiss those plump lips that were now converted into a mischievous smile. "Anything." She punctuated the word with a rough tug on Callie's bottom lip._

_Turned on beyond belief, Callie grinned. "I want to go get the whipped cream and chocolate sauce."_

_Arizona's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"_

_In one fluid motion, Callie slipped off Arizona's pajama top. "Because I wanna put it on you." She sat up, now eye level with those darkened baby blues that were filled with arousal. "And then I wanna lick it off you," she whispered seductively._

_Swallowing heavily, the throbbing between her legs almost painful, Arizona moved to let Callie stand up off the bed. "Go get it." Callie Torres was going to kill her, Arizona was sure of it. _

_"You better be naked by the time I get back," Callie sternly said, raising an eyebrow._

_Arizona had her shorts off before Callie had even left the room._

"I wish it wasn't like this. I need for you to believe that," Arizona appealed for Callie to believe her. She didn't know if telling the truth was going to make things better between them, or worse. "I couldn't sleep without you. For a week after you left...I couldn't sleep."

Callie managed to get the unwanted tears under control. "You couldn't?"

"No." Arizona shook her head sadly, their hands finding their way together again. "It wasn't in case I got a nightmare...it was in case _you_ weren't there to get me through it when I woke up."

The words just about broke Callie's heart. "How bad is the Phantom Limb?" As an orthopedic surgeon, Callie had spent time with many patients, and knew how severe it could be.

"Really bad." Blue eyes had darkened to a look of pain, Arizona staring at the ground, embarrassed. "I could see the bugs in the nightmares. But now...now I can_ feel_ them," she admitted darkly, her body going tense at the thought.

"I can help you," Callie insisted firmly, refusing to let Arizona go through this alone. "There's techniques that we can do, to get it under control." A sudden jolt of pain went straight to her head, making her wince.

Arizona eased the brunette into lying down. "Shhh. We'll talk about this another time." She softly stroked Callie's hair, knowing it wasn't doing them any good, but wholly unable to stop.

"You're gonna go out with me eventually. You know that, right," Callie said matter-of-factly, blinking to stop the pain in her head. "I like you, and you like me. And I can't get over you—I don't _want_ to get over you." In some way, she wished that Arizona hadn't told her the truth — because that way hurt a lot less. Now, they had to be around each other, knowing they both harboured these feelings.

"You will, Callie." Thinking about Callie with someone else killed Arizona, but she knew it was bound to happen at some point. "You're gonna meet somebody. And then you and I will laugh about this conversation, years down the line."

Callie gave an adamant shake of the head. "No!" She wasn't giving up on Arizona — on being with Arizona — not when there was feelings this strong, involved. "I'm gonna be with you — you're the only person I want." The only person she was ever going to want. "And maybe _right now_ isn't the right time for us...but there _will_ be a right time for us," she promised, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Arizona wanted nothing more than Callie to be right. "What the hell are we gonna do?" she brokenly asked, dropping her head to rest on Callie's shoulder.

"We're gonna be friends." There was no other option for Callie — Arizona was easily the most important person in her life. "And even though I've been pissed as hell at you, the past two weeks — I've missed you so much," the Latina admitted, wrapping her arms around the crying blonde. "You mean too much to me, and I can't _not_ have you in my life."

"Me, too," Arizona agreed sharply, sitting back to look into those heartbroken eyes. "You really think we can do that — be friends?" She couldn't be around Callie and not want to kiss her, but she also couldn't not be around her, either.

Callie laughed, a look of unknown on her face. "You got a better idea?" she mumbled out playfully.

Managing her own laugh, Arizona nodded her head in agreement. "No, I don't," the blonde conceded. Slowly, she reached her hand out, fingers softly brushing over the nasty looking cut on Callie's forehead. "I really missed you."

Falling into the familiar embrace, Callie held the blonde close, hugging her tight. "I missed you, too." The smell of Arizona's shampoo was throwing her mind into a tailspin. And she found herself having not-so friendly thoughts.

"Well, I spoke to Shephard," Addison burst through the door, immediately hearing two frustrated groans. Looking up, she was shocked to see her friend engaging in an intimate hug, with Arizona Robbins. And just like that, Addison's suspicions were confirmed. Something had happened — or was still happening — between them. It was written all over their faces, made clear by the way they were looking at each other. "Oh, sorry." Her gaze drifted down to their joined hands, an eyebrow raising once she saw their fingers entwined. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're fine," Callie grumbled, glaring daggers at her friend. "What did Shephard say?"

Addison couldn't take her eyes off Arizona, who was, in return, unable to take her eyes off Callie. What the hell was going on with these two? "He wants you to stay in for observation tonight. He was gonna come tell you, but he got paged 911."

Groaning aloud, Callie reached over to take a sip of her water. Arizona's eyes were trained on those delicious, plump lips as they wrapped around they straw. "What else did he say?" the brunette inquired, shifting to lay on her side, the painkillers beginning to kick in.

"He wants someone to observe you overnight, so I said —"

"I'll do it," Arizona offered, cutting the red head off. She met Addison's gaze, unsure of the look she saw lingering there. "I'll stay with her."

Becoming more shocked by the second, Addison tilted her head, looking at Callie. "Callie?"

"It's fine," Callie said, knowing what her friend was silently asking. She knew Addison's questions were going to have to be answered, tomorrow.

"Okay, then," Addison sighed out, laughing a little. "Feel better. I'll come check on you, tomorrow."

Callie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that you will," she mumbled tiredly, watching her friend leave the room.

"So...Addison knows," Arizona chimed in, chewing her lip awkwardly.

"Yeah," Callie said, yawning heavily. "You don't have to stay with me, Arizona."

"Shut up," Arizona shot back, tugging the comforter tight around Callie's body, making sure she was nice and snug. "Get some sleep." Remembering something from a week ago, Arizona asked, "Did you bin the lab coat I bought you?" It had been bothering her since she first noticed Callie wasn't wearing it.

"No, I would never bin it. My pride was a little dented, but I'll wear it as soon as I'm back to work." Callie's eyes were already drifting closed, the exhaustion of the day clear on her sleepy face. Arizona released a heavy, thankful breath, making Callie smile. "I'm still mad at you, by the way."

Arizona smiled, reaching down to place a kiss atop Callie's forehead. But as soon as she was half way down, Callie looked up, their lips now level. Callie glanced at pink lips inches from her own, aching to feel them press against her own. It would be so easy for Arizona to lean in and close the distance. Callie wanted it. She wanted it. But it wasn't fair to either of them.

And so, the blonde forced her head upwards, her lips placing a small kiss to the middle of Callie's forehead. "Go to sleep, Lawnmower," the blonde teased, making Callie laugh huskily. It wasn't how she expected her night to go, but as long as she had Callie back in her life, again — Arizona wasn't caring.

They fell asleep holding hands, neither of them aware of the fact that they were sleeping in the same room that Callie would — in a few years down the line — give birth to their daughter in.

* * *

**Regular updates! Can you believe it...cause I really can't. The reviews for the last chapter, though — you guys are seriously unbelievable. I know a lot of you want them to get together straight away, but if the updates keep coming like this — the story _could_ be done in a few weeks. I'm ecited to see what you guys think. You're all awesome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Just a warning! This story is being cancelled. No, I'm joking — did I take it too far?**

**Arizona will deal with some pretty severe Phantom Limb in this chapter, so if anyone thinks that they will have any problem reading something like that, I'd advise you to give this chapter a miss.**

**Just giving you a heads up!**

* * *

**I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters ya'll. **

* * *

Arizona had tried. She had really, really tried. It was by no means friendly. But no matter how hard Arizona tried, no matter how hard she tried to focus on something else, she could not stop staring at Callie's legs. She'd never had a friend who she had the hots for before, so getting used to this situation with Callie, was proving to be a struggle.

For both of them.

Earlier in the afternoon, Arizona had received a text from her _friend, _asking her to come help Callie unpack her moving boxes. Well, Callie hadn't really asked her — the text had distinctively said '_Come upstairs and help me unpack!' _

Who was Arizona to argue with a commanding Calliope Torres — especially when the object of her affection was still a little pissed at her.

When Arizona had arrived a few hours ago, it was a little disappointing to find out that Mark and Addison were also helping Callie. But around an hour ago, both of them had to leave for their shifts at the hospital, and Arizona got the one-on-one time with Callie that she wanted. The blonde wasn't sure, but every time she exchanged a look with Addison, there seemed to be a knowing smirk on the red heads face.

Being alone together wasn't awkward, but there was a heavy feeling of sexual tension looming in the air. And Arizona thought it had only increased since Callie declared herself _'too hot' _and then procedded to change into a tank top and shorts.

It was the legs. It was always the damn legs. Arizona would take someone to court if they disagreed upon Calliope Torres having the best legs in the entire word.

Because she did have the best legs in the entire world.

"Oh, thank god," Callie sighed dramatically, brushing the stray bangs away from her forehead. "I'm never moving state, again."

Arizona let out a tired laugh. "You're really bad at packing; no technique."

Such a control freak, Callie thought, shaking her head in amusement. "There's a rule when it comes to packing?"

"Yes!" Arizona stated dramatically, shocked that Callie could even ask such a question. "You put your hair straighteners in the same box with your kitchen appliances. It's completely backwards."

"You're completely backwards," Callie mumbled under her breath, trudging her tired feet into the kitchen. "You want a beer?"

Shaking her head, Arizona declined the offer. "I can't. I took some painkillers, a few hours ago; my leg was getting a little sore."

Before, in the first couple of days that Callie had met Arizona, she couldn't recall a time where the blonde had openly admitted that her leg was bothering her. She suddenly felt guilty for making Arizona come help her. "I'm sorry. You should have told me, and I wouldn't have asked you to come out," she sighed, sounding angry at herself.

"It's fine," Arizona reassured with a smile. "I wanted to help. And the painkillers helped, so don't worry about it." The pain in her leg was the last thing Arizona thought about when she was around Callie. "I've, um — I've been trying the mirror technique."

Since Arizona had first revealed she had been suffering from Phantom Limb, Callie always let the blonde take the conversation at her own pace. She didn't want to jump right in and start asking questions, because it was clear that it was an extremely sensitive subject for Arizona. "How's that been working?" The need to know more was overwhelming, but she held her tongue.

"It helps when the pain isn't severe." Arizona gave a half-hearted shrug, nails tapping repeatedly on the marble of the breakfast bar. "The painkillers help. But they make me really sleepy, so I never take them if I'm working," the blonde explained, nervously laughing.

Callie felt a pang of sympathy hit her; the sad laugh that Arizona had just given, cut straight through her. "You know if it's ever bad, all you have to do is call me. I'm right upstairs now, anyway." She waited for the light, sarcastic reply that Arizona was, most definitely, about to hit her with. Reading Arizona was easier than reading a children's book.

"Callie," Arizona began with a laugh. "We both know that you absolutely cannot deal with someone waking you up." Getting a rock to come alive, was less challenging than getting Callie to wake up from slumber, Arizona had realized.

And there it was, right on cue, Callie noted. "I'm serious," the Latina adamantly insisted. Outstretching her hand, she them immediately dropped it back to her own side, changing her mind on whether she was going to reach out and touch Arizona's hand. Friends weren't supposed to hold hands, she internally reminded herself.

Arizona could sense the mood beginning to drop. "So, listen — what are you doing on Thursday night?" There were nerves fluttering in her stomach. Nerves about whether Callie was going to say yes, or whether she was going to say no.

Despite it being obvious that Arizona was not going to ask her out, Callie couldn't help but get her hopes up. "Uh, I don't have anything planned. Why?"

Nodding as if to reassure herself, Arizona took the plunge. "Do you wanna come over to my place and hang out?" She wasn't even asking Callie out, and still, it felt like her heart was bursting through her ribs. Sensing Callie was waiting for further explanation, she took a deep breath and continued. "We can chill out, drink some wine, watch _Underground_ together." At the mention of her favorite TV show, Callie's eyes lit up, making Arizona giggle. Callie had been obsessed with that show ever since Arizona first made her watch it — they normally texted during it, every Thursday night. "Just...I miss you. And friends can hang out, right?"

It was hard for Callie for focus on anything other than the _I miss you_ that fell so sweetly from Arizona's lips. "No, yeah. Of course, that sounds great," the words tumbled from her mouth in a jumbled up mess. Composing herself, she tried again. "We can hang out, yeah. Like a friend date?" Callie suggested, taking a heavy swig from her beer.

"A friend date," Arizona gave a confirming nod, detecting the nerves lurking in those chocolate orbs. "I promise not to talk during the show." She showed off her dimples in a teasing grin.

Everything about Arizona Robbins, completely drew Callie in. From her dimples, to her ocean blue eyes...Callie was besotted. "You'd better not. I like that show better than I like you."

As the blonde opened her mouth to retort, the door quickly burst open. And in walked Cristina Yang.

Cristina looked between the two women, clearly confused as to what was going on. "Are you two friends?"

"Yes, best friends," Arizona said convincingly, watching on as Cristina proceeded to kick the empty boxes across the room.

"You have a lot of crap," Cristina scowled, heaving open the fridge door. "Did you bring the entire state of Miami with you?"

Rolling her eyes, Callie finished her beer. "We tidied the whole apartment; you should be thanking us."

"Thank you," Cristina said, with no meaning behind the words. "Are all these boxes from your own apartment, or did you live with your parents?"

At the mention of her parents, Callie stood up to grab another beer. "I stayed myself," was all that came out of her mouth. It wasn't a subject she liked to talk about — especially with Cristina Yang. Arizona knew the whole story, knew how much Callie refused to speak about her parents to anyone.

Sensing the sharp tone, Cristina's face formed into that of a grimace. "Touchy subject?"

Callie gave a half glance to Arizona, finding comfort in the reassuring smile she found being aimed back at her. "Kind of."

_"Are you an only child?" Arizona randomly asked, softly running her hand over the bare skin of Callie's abdomen. It was late afternoon, and they had been lazing around all day. Their only activities including making love, and talking._

_Callie's body went completely still. "I might as well be," she mumbled out quietly, staring at the ceiling. Talking about family was a rough subject for Callie, and she tried to avoid it as much as possible. "Why?" _

_Arizona moved a little closer, hooking her right leg between two tanned ones. "You kind of seem like an only child." Considering that she had been sleeping with the woman for two days, Arizona had realized that she only knew the basics about Calliope. And she wanted to know more._

_"I have a younger sister, Aria," Callie revealed, shifting to lay on her side. "What about you?"_

_"My older brother, Tim, died in Afghanistan three years ago," Arizona admitted sadly, letting Callie pull her closer. She cuddled into the side of the Latina's neck, throwing her arm around a curvy waist._

_Callie's hands stroked at the soft skin on Arizona's neck. "I'm sorry," she sighed out with sympathy. Cleary Arizona was one of those good people who had to deal with a lot of bad shit. And Callie thought her own life had its bad points._

_"Yeah, it sucked." Arizona leaned up on her elbow, looking down at the naked beauty under her. "Are you close with your parents?" _

_Callie's jaw had set before she had a chance to control it. "No." Her voice was distant, a hint of aggression present._

_It was a tone Arizona had never heard from Callie before. "Why not?"_

_Blowing out a heavy breath, Callie continued to look at the celling. "They're pretty devout Catholic's, and I'm a disgrace who doesn't have an interest in ever being with a man. So it doesn't really make for a very good relationship." And the horrible, gutted feeling that always popped up whenever Callie thought about her parents, was back in full force._

_"Callie," Arizona whispered out, her voice full of care and concern._

_"It's fine," Callie brushed it off shakily, feeling her throat begin to close. "Who needs parents, right?" She tried to laugh, but a choked sob forced its way out, instead. _

_Arizona was quick to act, pulling the devastated woman into her arms, lips whispering words of reassurance as she continued to hold the trembling body in a tight, secure embrace. "I got you," the blonde soothed softly, the words only making Callie cry harder. _

_Unable to stop the dormant emotions from spilling out, Callie's tears continued to corrupt the pale skin of Arizona's neck. The outburst had been a long time coming, yet having it just after engaging in hot, sweaty sex with a gorgeous blonde, wasn't when Callie was expecting it to happen. Realizing what had happened, she inhaled a deep breath, the sobs slowly deciphering into sniffles. Now, the embarrassment was creeping in._

_"God, I'm sorry," Callie whimpered, feeling positively mortified. She tried to pull away, but the arms around her held tight, keeping her grounded and safe._

_"Don't be sorry." Using the soft pads of her fingers, Arizona brushed the cascade of moisture away from Callie's tear-stained face, her heart in pieces at the sight of the woman she cared about looking so defeated. "I've cried on you countless times since we met. I think you're allowed a turn too," she said, trying her best to lighten the dark mood that had suddenly eclipsed over the bedroom. _

_Finding the words to be all she needed to hear, Callie pulled her head back, enough so that there foreheads were now gently touching. "My mom hasn't spoke to me since I was twenty-three. She told me I was going to hell...that I was a disgrace to the family." Normally, she refrained from thinking about her mother; she didn't deserve to be thought about, didn't deserve to cause Callie more grief than she had already caused her. "But my dad, h-he's really trying, you know? He couldn't deal with it at first, just like my mother, but he's came around," Callie brokenly stated, her voice still in a state of hoarseness from the crying._

_"I guarantee she misses you," Arizona insisted without a second thought._

_Laughing mirthlessly, Callie looked at the blonde, her big brown eyes pleading. "She hasn't spoken to me in six years; she doesn't miss me."_

_"Yes she does." Arizona wrapped an arm around Callie's middle, forcing the fronts of their naked bodies to collide intimately. "You're amazing. You're kind. You're sweet. You're probably the most thoughtful, caring person I've ever met." The tension changed, something new now lingering in the air, causing brown eyes to lock on blue fiercely. "It's impossible to have somebody like you in your life, and then not miss them when they leave it. You're mother misses you, Calliope," Arizona confidently spoke, her lips reaching out to meet Callie's in a soft kiss. "You're type kind of girl people wish for." The type of girl Arizona had wish for, ever since she was a teenager._

_Held captive by Arizona's words, Callie was overcome with how strong her feelings for Arizona had progressed in such a short space of time. They had only spent a few days together, and yet, Callie couldn't imagine walking out of Arizona's life for good. "You're really good at that," came the softly laughed out response._

_"I have a gift." Arizona gave a confident shrug, glad to see the Latina smiling; even if it was just a little bit. "Why don't you stay here and I'll go run you a bath?"_

_"Only if you come in it with me." Callie made sure to lay on the thick, pleading puppy dog eyes._

_Chuckling in response, Arizona gave those pouting plump lips another kiss. "Deal."_

Not liking the look of emotion on her new roommates face, Cristina offered up a change of subject. "You guys wanna get some food?"

* * *

"Hey," Addison called out, catching up with the brunette who was just about to enter the Attending's Lounge. "What happened to you at lunch?"

"Sorry. I got dragged into surgery." Callie took a large sip of her piping hot coffee, needing a quick energy burst.

Addison nodded in understanding. "I sat with your girlfriend, so it was fine." Mocking Callie and Arizona... about Callie and Arizona, was her new favorite hobby.

"She's not my girlfriend," Callie forced the words out, even though she desperately wished Addison's statement were true. "She's my — it's weird. We're friends!"

"But you both like each other?" Addison questioned in confusion. She knew the initial outline, but not much more. It was clear that Callie wanted to keep Arizona all to herself. And Arizona didn't give anything about her personal life away.

Callie sighed, once again reminded that she was _not_ with Arizona. "Yeah. But it's fine." She was trying to convince herself, more than she was trying to convince Addison. People around the hospital had started to notice them together, and Callie knew it wouldn't be long before the rumors started. "We're hanging out, tomorrow night. It's no big deal," she said, adapting her and Arizona's favorite catch phrase.

"You're _what_?" Addison exclaimed, looking at her friend like she was crazy.

"Hanging out together, tonight," Callie repeated quietly, as though she was scared of the red head's reaction. "What's the problem?"

Addison gasped in shock. "Two friends who like each other, can't hang out alone, Callie."

"Says who?" Callie said loudly, not understanding what the problem was. Sure, there were moments where the two of them shared a look that seemed to last a little too long, but that wasn't the end of the world.

Was it?

"Says everybody who has ever had to hang out with someone they have feelings for." Addison continued to look at her friend, completely stumped.

Wishing she hadn't told Addison anything, Callie refused to believe a word her friend was saying. "Everything's gonna be fine. We're gonna sit on the couch, drink some wine, watch a little TV — nothing's gonna happen."

"You're gonna sit on the couch?" Addison repeated in shock. "And then what happens, huh? Somebody gets a little too cold. Somebody else sits volunteers to scoot over a little closer. And then, the next thing you know, you're in bed with her and she's got you forgetting why you were even there, in the first place!"

By the time the rant was over, Callie's mouth was agape, her look one of shock and astonishment. "Oh my god." She didn't know if that scenario was the best thing she'd heard all day, or the worst. "What the hell do I do?" she frantically asked, already in a state of panic.

Addison patted the couch next to her. And Callie was there in a flash, sitting down. "Okay, here's what you do," she started, moving over to the far side of the couch. "When you go into her apartment, you sit where I'm sitting, and under _no_ circumstances do you sit any closer to her."

"Right." Callie nodded like an eager puppy, awaiting its owners next command.

"If you make eye contact with her for longer than three seconds — look away!" Addison instructed firmly, her voice raising by the second, almost becoming hysterical. "Eye contact _always_ leads to kissing. And I know she has really pretty eyes that are brighter than the ocean, but you need to stay on the shore Callie. Don't go into the ocean!"

Callie nodded stiffly, struggling to keep up with what the hell her friend was talking about. "No ocean. Got it." Pausing to think, Callie tilted her head in contemplation. "But I'm a really good swimmer?"

"No!" Addison snapped, profusely shaking her head. "Stay out of the water!"

"Ok-okay," Callie said weakly.

Addison's face turned completely serious. "Now, this is the big one, Cal. And I really need you to listen."

"What it is?" Callie asked, looking like she was in an deep entrancement.

"You cannot — _absolutely no way in hell_ — fall asleep on the couch together," Addison said, ultimately revealing her golden rule. "If that happens...there's no turning back."

Callie wasn't sure there was a chance of going back, anyway. She was already far too deep in the ocean.

* * *

The next night, as Callie exited the kitchen and into Arizona's living room, she forced herself to remember Addison's rule. Making sure she had first dibs on an outside seat of the couch, she quickly sat down before the blonde got the chance. Step one was clear — Callie was totally handling this.

Upon arrival, Callie had a good attitude about tonight. She had told herself multiple times that it was going to be easy for them to be friends. But those thoughts had escaped her mind as soon as Arizona answered the door wearing those tight, grey sweatpants that Callie just _loved_ her in.

Arizona entered the living room just behind Callie, a small pout on lips when she saw where the Latina was sitting. "Why are you sitting there?" she confusedly asked, her eyes drawn together. "You always sit in the middle, and I always sit at the edge." As soon as the blonde had voiced her thoughts, she immediately recognized her mistake; Callie always sat in the middle when they were hooking up with each other. But that wasn't the case, anymore.

Laughing at the uncomfortable look on the blonde's face, Callie took the comment in stride. "Hurry up and sit down. It's about to start." Whilst changing the channel, Callie's entire body was alerted when she felt Arizona sit down on the middle cushion...right next to her. There was a relatively safe distance between them, but the smell of Arizona's Vanilla body wash, was drawing her in completely.

This was going to be an interesting night.

Arizona found it adorable how worked up Calliope got over a stupid TV show. "You get that it's not real, right?"

"Do you think they're gonna kill somebody off?" Callie looked genuinely worried as she turned to look at the blonde.

Biting her lip to stifle a laugh, Arizona raised a challenging eyebrow. "Are you gonna cry if they do?"

Callie scoffed, her hand reaching out to grasp her red wine that was sitting on the table. "No."

Around ten minutes later, when the show was approaching its first break, Callie turned to look at Arizona expectantly. "The mole has got to be Iain, right? There's nobody else it could be."

Arizona sucked in a frustrated breath. "I don't know," she said sharply.

Callie nodded, another few seconds of silence passing before she spoke up again. "But do you _think_ it's him?"

"_Callie_!" Arizona groaned out through a laugh, covering her eyes with her hand. "Will you shut up! You'll fine out who it is — soon!"

"Sorry. Sometimes I forget that you're the writer of the show," Callie mumbled, heavy sarcasm lacing her tone.

Arizona only rolled her eyes. Callie Torres was the biggest nerd she had ever met.

_Making her way out of the bedroom, Arizona looked up just in time to see Calliope frantically reach for the remote and quickly change the channel._ _"What are you doing?" _

_Callie looked a mixture of nervous and embarrassed. "Nothing," she lied, avoiding Arizona's gaze._

_"Were you watching porn?" Arizona asked knowingly, the corners of her lips turned up into a sexy smirk._

_"No!" Callie denied the accusation adamantly. "Why the hell would I be watching porn?"_

_Arizona strolled into the living room, her freshly curled blonde hair bouncing as she walked. "You don't have to be embarrassed," she reassured, coming to stand at the side of the couch._

_"I was not watching porn, Arizona," Callie loudly stated in frustration, her head shaking in disbelief._

_"Then why'd you change the channel so quick?" Arizona shot back quickly, staring at the flustered woman questioningly._

_Callie gave a nonchalant shrug. "No reason."_

_With a move as fast as lightening, Arizona reached down to grab the remote out of Callie's lap. "You know," she began, pointing the remote at the TV. "It has a button that takes you back to the previous channel. And I know that you were watching..." she cut herself off, looking confused as the channel changed to what Callie had just been watching. "Spiderman?"_

_A blush ran rampant up the side of Callie's face and neck, the usual caramel skin now covered by a heavy red blemish. "I was watching porn. Your remote must be broken."_

_Arizona was looking thoroughly confused. "Why were you watching Spiderman?" _

_Realizing her secret was out, Callie told the truth. "I sort of...really like Superhero movies," came the quiet admission, brown eyes looking anywhere apart from at shocked blue. It was her guilty pleasure, and no one else knew about it._

_The grin on Arizona's face could be seen from across the street. "Callie Torres, are you a nerd?" she gasped playfully, looking at Callie expectantly._

_Callie scoffed, but did not deny it. "Maybe a tiny...tiny little bit."_

_"So, which one of these types of films is your favorite?" Arizona sat down on the edge of the single chair, the grin still on her face. Callie's badass reputation was not living up to her expectations — the woman was an adorable nerd._

_"Batman," Callie answered the question rapidly. "Superhero movies are my guilty pleasure."_

_A dirty thought suddenly entered the blonde's mind. "So, if I went and bought a Catwoman suit — what would that do for you?"_

_Callie's face blanked, the thought of Arizona in such a costume doing unexplainable things to her body. "Turn me on to the point where I would probably die," she replied shakily, a darkened edge to her brown eyes._

_Giving a heavy laugh, Arizona walked the short distance, and leaned down to give Callie a searing kiss. "You are something else."_

_Callie grinned cheekily, pulling Arizona down to sit on her lap. "You ready to go out?"_

_They were supposed to be going out for dinner, but Arizona suddenly got a new idea. "Isn't there some new Superhero movie out in the Movies, just now?"_

_"Darkness is Vengeance?" Callie suggested, surprised that Arizona had even heard it._

_"Uhm, probably." Arizona wound her arms around Callie's neck, unable to stop herself from pecking those plump lips. "We could go get some dinner, and then go see that?"_

_Looking like a kid who had just been told they could have candy for dinner, Callie's eyes widened. "Really?"_

_Arizona shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was. "Sure." Softly cupping Callie's cheek, Arizona brushed her thumb over the smooth skin. "Nerdy girls are my guilty pleasure," she huskily admitted._

_"Seriously?" Callie laughed in disbelief._

_Grinning in confirmation, Arizona stepped off Callie's lap, outstretching her hand to pull the Latina up. "Seriously. We should get you a pair of those thick, black glasses when we're out."_

"I'm gonna go grab some ice-cream." Arizona forced herself up off the couch as they show turned to a commercial. "You want some?"

For a skinny girl, Arizona could seriously eat. "We just ate an entire pizza between us," Callie reminded, her voice a little disbelieving. She watched as the blonde came back into the living room, carrying a medium sized tub of Ben & Jerry's.

"Ezactly; that's like one small pizza each." Arizona handed Callie the tub of ice-cream, and stood awkwardly in front of the coffee table. "I'm uh — I'm gonna take my leg off. I can't really get comfortable on the couch when I'm wearing it."

"Hmm," Callie hummed out, focusing on the sweet treat instead of the blonde. Glancing upwards, Callie's eyes bulged out of her head when she saw that Arizona had pulled her sweatpants down to her knees. She immediately looked away, but not quick enough to avoid seeing the hint of red underwear that Arizona was wearing. Why was she being tortured like this?"

Resting her prosthetic on the side of the table, Arizona flopped down onto the couch, a relieved sigh leaving her mouth. "That's better."

It might have been better for Arizona, but it was now worse for Callie. Every dirty thought she had managed to avoid, was now swirling around inside her head, thinking up every possible scenario where Arizona was writhing breathlessly under her on the coffee table. "Great," came the forced out statement.

Throughout the rest of the show, due to both of them sharing the same tub of ice-cream, both women had subconsciously drifted closer to each other. They both knew how close they were, could hear the others breathing increase if they happened to move even a fraction of an inch.

"Good episode, right?" Placing the empty ice-cream container on the coffee table, Arizona then turned to look at Callie.

Callie met her gaze, the words on her tongue wasting away as she saw the blonde's tongue dart out the lick the remnants of chocolate away from the corners of her mouth. "You got um.." she cut herself off, pointing to the side of Arizona's mouth. "At the side...of your mouth."

Arizona wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand. "Better?" That sexual tension could be sensed a mile off. And, right now, Arizona could sense it. Their faces were closer together than what she had previously thought.

With her gaze set on those moist pink lips, Callie gave a firm nod. "Yeah," she throatily informed, her tongue darting out to wet her own lips. If this was a few months ago, Callie wouldn't think twice before leaning in and connecting their lips. And she really wanted to do it now, too.

"Callie," Arizona breathed out quietly, her eyes darting between those chocolate orbs and those deep red lips.

Callie drew her white teeth between her lips, the sight of it making Arizona take in a sharp breath. "What?" she whispered out, peering at the blonde through her long lashes.

Arizona swallowed thickly. "You're staring at my lips," the blonde pointed out dumbly.

"You have really nice lips," Callie tried to reason, her voice taking up the tone that indicated she was turned on.

"This isn't us being friendly," Arizona informed, but made no attempt to do anything about. She was only human, after all.

Remembering Addison's words, Callie forced herself to stand up. "I think I should go."

Quickly donning her prosthesis, securing it tight, Arizona also stood up. "Right, yeah," she murmured quietly, watching on as Callie threw on her sexy leather jacket. "We...we could make this a weekly thing? Us hanging out." She really didn't know what Calliope was going to say — but she was hoping for a _yes_.

Callie smiled that smile, that always seemed to melt Arizona's heart. "I'd like that." She would really, really like that, actually. "Callie and Arizona Thursday," she said with a smile.

Arizona slowly walked towards the front door, a silly grin on her own face. "I like the sound of that."

They looked at each other questioningly, neither knowing an appropriate next move.

A handshake?

A kiss on the cheek?

A hug?

A friendly knuckle-touch?

The question seemed to answer itself, both of them falling into an easy, comfortable hug. Arizona's arms snaked around Callie's neck, Callie's hands going around the blonde's slim waist.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Arizona said, her tone full of hope.

Closing her eyes, Callie gave the smaller woman one more tight squeeze, before regrettably pulling back. "Yeah," the Latina confirmed, opening the front door before she ended up slamming Arizona against it.

Arizona nodded, blue eyes focusing on that gorgeous face until the front door gently closed, leaving both women on opposite sides, sighs leaving both of their mouths.

Being friends was going to be difficult.

* * *

Alex Karev looked on in concern as he watched his boss limp towards the elevator.

"I'm fine," Arizona forced the words out, fully leaning on her right leg as she came to stand at the elevator. In truth, she was not okay — far from, it actually. Her leg was killing her, and the blonde was sure that the pain she was currently experiencing, was the worst her leg had ever felt.

"You look like you're about to pass out," Alex sadly informed, taking a step closer in case she actually did. Other than the time his boss came to the hospital, after being found in the woods, this was the worst he had ever seen her look. "Do you want me to help you across the street?"

Arizona waved a tired hand in dismissal, biting the inside of her gum to ward of the pain in her left thigh. "I'll be fine, Karev," she persisted, sounding close to tears.

Alex looked at her sadly. "You were in surgery for thirteen hours —"

"Don't remind me," Arizona cut him off with an empty laugh. When she had been paged for the emergency surgery with Shephard, the Phantom Pains in her leg had been in full flow, making every second of the thirteen hours she had just stood for, agony. But it was touch-and-go for the entire time, meaning Alex couldn't be left to do it himself without her.

During the surgery, there had been several occasions where the staff had looked at Arizona, sensing something was off. The usually composed Dr. Robbins was breathing heavily, sweat just about pouring down her forehead, and often stepping back from the surgical table.

It was only three seven o'clock, and yet, Arizona knew she was in for a hellish night. Thankfully, no surgeries had been planned for the rest of the evening, so Arizona was heading home to bed.

If she actually managed to make it across the street.

"Robbins," Alex softly said, compassion clear in his voice.

The elevator doors opened before Alex could say anything else. Limping slowly, Arizona gritted her teeth and hit the button for the Lobby. "I'll be fine, Alex." The doors closed, leaving a devastated Alex Karev on the other side. Knowing she was away from prying eyes, Arizona let herself breath out shakily, the pain becoming too much for her to handle.

The short walk across the street — with the state she was in — took Arizona twenty minutes. By the time she was stood at the elevator in her own lobby, there was a nauseating feeling creeping up her throat, making her feel like she was going to spew her guts all over the elevator doors.

It seemed to take hours before the doors opened, but when they did, Callie was stood on the other side. "Callie," Arizona grogged out, her throat feeling drier than the Sahara.

Alarmed, Callie stepped forward to grasp the Arizona's elbows as she seemed to lose her footing. "Wow." She wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist, basically dragging her back into the elevator. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked frantically, leaning the blonde against the back wall.

Arizona was struggling to focus on Callie's face, her vision becoming slightly blurry. She put it down to a mixture of dehydration, not eating, and exhaustion. "My leg...it's really bad," Arizona admitted, letting Callie's body take her weight. It felt like it did in the woods, like someone had taken a chainsaw to her left leg.

"God, you're as white as a ghost." The fact that Arizona didn't even bother to reply, only made Callie panic even more. Those bright blue eyes looked almost lifeless, and the blonde hair that normally looked silky and smooth, was flung into a messy ponytail. Securely wrapping an arm around Arizona's waist, Callie gently coaxed her out onto the second floor, "Nice and slow; take your time. I've got you."

With trembling hands, Arizona tried to withdraw her keys from her back. She didn't put up a fight when Callie carefully extracted the bag from around her shoulder, and then opened the door. "Thanks," she said, crossing the threshold of her apartment. Knowing Callie was waiting for an explanation, she sighed. "My leg's been killing me since earlier today, and then I got paged into a thirteen hour surgery," she revealed, hastily unbuttoning her jacked with unsteady hands.

Callie was panicking more by the second; she had never seen Arizona in such a state. "Do you want me to come sit with you?"

Tiredly shaking her head, Arizona refused the offer, "No, it's okay. I'll be fine," she insisted, not sounding anyway convincing. She didn't want to be rude to Callie, but the need to lay down and get off her feet, was unbearable. "Thanks for helping me."

"Arizona." Callie took a small step forward.

"It's okay," Arizona's voice cracked a little as she spoke, the pain she was feeling clear in her broken voice.

Knowing — and hating — that Arizona was far too stubborn, Callie backed off. "Okay. But promise me you'll call me if the pain's still this bad, in an hour!"

"Callie," Arizona tried to say.

"_Promise me!_," Callie insisted, her tone persistent and unwavering. If Arizona didn't promise her, then she wasn't leaving. By the way the blonde was looking right now, Callie didn't even know if she would be conscious in an hour — but Callie couldn't force Arizona to let her in.

Because they were only friends.

Admitting defeat, Arizona found the energy to nod. "I promise." They shared one last longing look before Arizona closed the door, immediately collapsing against it. She needed painkillers, but they were in her kitchen. Groaning in agony with every single step, she slowly walked into the kitchen. "Oh my god." Painful tears had began to obscure her vision, her hands shaking as she opened the packet of painkillers, swallowing them quickly.

Approaching the bedroom, Arizona had to pause several times, not knowing if her leg was going to make it the rest of the way.

Why had she left her crutches in the bedroom this morning?

"Ahhh," she whimpered out, throwing herself onto bed, though the carpet was fire and it scolding her. Pulling her scrubs off in record time, she slowly and gently slipped off her prosthetic leg, the dark red skin underneath almost shining as it came into view.

Her entire body was shaking, though she could not detect if she was warm or cold. "Ow. God," she choked out harshly into the nothingness of the bedroom. Quickly donning the t-shirt that she had stolen from Callie, Arizona lay back on her bed, breathing in heavily through her mouth and nose.

The pain was excruciating; it felt like her leg was on fire from the top of her thigh, down to the bottom of her ankle. But there wasn't an ankle there to be on fire. She knew her pulse was weak, knew that it was possible that she would pass out at any second. The room was spinning, and she suddenly realized that she didn't grab any water from the kitchen. Too dizzy to lift her head up, she blindly outstretched her hand to her nightstand, in search of the bottle of water she took to bed last night.

She groaned upon realizing there was only a quarter left. There was no way she could walk, though — not even on her crutches. Feeling the room begin to spin, Arizona didn't know if she passed from the pain, or fell asleep.

"Ahhhh!" Arizona screamed, sitting bolt upright in bed, sweat dripping off her forehead. She threw the comforter back, her hands reaching out to swat at the imaginary bugs that were crawling over her leg, eating the flesh.

There was nothing there, she realized, but the pain was still there. She could see — physically _see_ — that there wasn't anything there, but to her, it felt like thousands of bugs were all over her leg.

She was disoriented, confused, unable to move. With one hand covering her eyes, and other gripping her left thing, Arizona began to cry uncontrollably.

Why was this happening to her?

"Oh god. Ow," she continued to sob in pain. Everything she could see was cloudy, due to the tears. Whimpering every second, she dragged her body to the side of her bed, reaching down to grab her scrub pants from the floor.

It was only 8:30pm. She was so confused; it felt like she had been asleep for hours, yet it was less than hour. The painkillers hadn't helped — even though they were one of the strongest kinds. She couldn't take another set for three more hours.

How the hell was that going to be possible?

The pain couldn't been handled, anymore. She needed something to help her, needed something to knock her out.

Picking up her phone immediately when it started to ring, Callie answered it in a flash. "Hey, are you..." she cut herself off when she heard Arizona's pained voice on the other end.

"_Ca-callie_," Arizona choked out through a fit of heavy sobs.

Callie dropped the groceries that were in her hand, and bolted to the front door. "What's happened?" She ran for the elevator, harshly pushing the button several times.

"_My leg." _Arizona felt her head roll back, the phone slipping from her grasp. "_I think...I'm gonna pa-pass out._"

"I'm in the elevator." Callie blew out a heavy breath, trying to compose herself. She knew if Arizona was calling her, then it had to be bad. "Just stay on the phone with me, okay? I'm gonna be there in two seconds," Callie promised, her heart and mind all over the place. "Where are you?"

Arizona licked her dry lips. "_Bedroom_." She let her phone fall off to the side when she heard Callie burst through the front door.

"Hey." Callie's heart broke at the sight of Arizona's hand over her face, and sobbing heavily. "Talk to me. What's wrong?" She moved to sit at the edge of the bed, not thinking twice before pulling the comforter back to look at the swollen limb.

"You need to get them off my leg, Callie." Arizona blindly searched for the Latina's hand, needing to _feel_ her warmth against her own skin.

Callie was confused; there wasn't a thing on Arizona's leg. "Get what off your leg?"

"The bugs," Arizona yelled, her lungs seizing in her chest, causing her to enter a heavy coughing fit. "They're all over my leg."

Tears sprung in Callie's eyes, but she forced them off; Arizona needed her to be strong right now. "Calm down," she soothed, touching a hand to the blonde's forehead, the skin scorching beneath her fingertips. "You're roasting."

"My skin feels like its on fire." Sitting up a little, Arizona stripped the sweaty t-shirt off her body, leaving her clad on only her underwear. "Callie, please make it stop," she begged, gripping the Latina's hand tight. The choked out sobs that continued to spill out, made it near impossible for Arizona to inhale a clean. "I...I c-can't breath."

"You need to calm down," Callie sternly spoke, moving to gently touch the blonde's sweat soaked cheek. She didn't even have time to focus on the fact that it was _her_ t-shirt that Arizona was wearing.

But Arizona couldn't calm down. "I can't." She couldn't breath, couldn't focus on anything other than the pain in her leg. "Knock me out. Please...knock me out."

Realizing Arizona was probably going to pass out from lack of oxygen, Callie was quick to act. Climbing on the bed, she aligned her body on top of the trembling one below her, hands cupping Arizona's cheeks firmly, "Calm down," she repeated, touching their foreheads together. "Open your eyes and look at me."

Still sobbing freely, Arizona did as she was told. But the emotion she saw in Callie's brown eyes only caused her to cry harder. "I'm in so much pain," she cried out in agony, gripping the back of Callie's t-shirt like it was the last thing she'd ever do.

"I know you are," Callie stated quietly, making sure to keep her voice firm and calm. "But you need to take a breath, or you're going to pass out." She'd watched patients break down after being told their loved ones had died. But this...this was the hardest thing Callie had ever had to watch.

Slowly, Arizona began to get her breathing under control, though she was still crying from the pain. "I can feel them...on my leg," she brokenly admitted, her eyes stinging with a mixture of tears and sweat.

"There is _nothing_ on your leg," Callie reassured softly, taking Arizona's hand into her own and leading it south. "You feel that?" She placed both their hands on the blonde's swollen residual limb, forcing their gaze to remain locked the entire time. "It's just you and me, okay?" she promised quietly.

Arizona gave a stiff nod. "They're not there, but I can still feel them." She closed her eyes, as if doing so would get rid of this nightmare. "The painkillers didn't help. What the hell am I gonna do? I can't take this." she rhetorically asked, her entire body trembling.

"I'm gonna go get you an icepack," Callie revealed, but didn't move just yet; she knew Arizona panic even more if she did. "And we're gonna get through this. Together, okay?"

The words only reminded Arizona of what was in their way. "You see this, Callie?" Her blue eyes were grey as she looked at the Latina, all the fight gone from her body. "_This_ is exactly why we can't be together," the blonde admitted painfully, her tone full of resentment. "Could you imagine having to deal with this every day?!"

"I'm not gonna leave you, I _promise._" Callie kept their foreheads locked together, needing the connection just as much as Arizona did. She knew of Phantom Limb to be unbearable, but seeing it first hand — especially in someone she cared so deeply about — was something else. "Whatever you can't do, I will. I'm here and that's how this works. You wouldn't leave me if this were the only way round, so there's no way I'm leaving you."

Arizona sobs slowly turned into tired whimpers. "Please don't leave me," Arizona desperately pleaded, emotion swirling in her deep blue eyes. The pain was still there, but Callie being there was helping dramatically. She no longer felt like she was going to die.

Looking dead into Arizona's eyes, Callie said more with that look than she could ever say with words. "I won't," she firmly promised, gently beginning to knead the top of the inflamed left thigh under her hands. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen and get you an icepack."

"No!" Arizona's gripped the back of Callie's neck, too afraid that if she moved, the panic would start again. "You can't."

"Hey," Callie whispered softly, lips so close to Arizona's, but not quite touching. "Close your eyes and count to ten. I'll be back before you open them." Before Arizona could protest, Callie pushed herself off the bed.

With her comfort now gone, leaving her feeling cold and empty, Arizona's eyes slammed shut. "One...two...three..." she began to count aloud, focusing on Callie's footsteps outside the bedroom. She opened her eyes when she heard the TV being switched on. "What are you doing?"

Callie rounded the other side of the bed and crawled in, placing the icepack on Arizona's leg, eliciting a loud gasp from the surprised blonde. "It's a distraction; try and focus on anything other than the pain," she instructed, handing over the bottle of water that she had quickly grabbed from the fridge.

Taking the bottle instantly, Arizona gulped the water down. "Why is the pain still _so_ bad?" she inquired, her leg still throbbing incessantly.

Callie's heart was breaking with every single word that Arizona said. "Try not to focus. I know it's easy for me to say, but just keep trying." She kept her hand on the icepack, holding it against Arizona's leg firmly.

"Just keep talking to me," Arizona pleaded, closing her eyes as another shot of pain jolted down her leg. "Your voice...calms me down." All the crying had tired Arizona out, but the pain was still too bad, and she couldn't yet fall asleep. Callie would help, though — Arizona knew she would.

Moving over closer, Callie leaned their heads on the same pillow. "You know why I first came over to you the first time I saw you?"

Arizona shook her head, eyes still closed. "I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure you must be regretting it."

"Shut up." Manoeuvring her own leg, Callie let it rest under Arizona's left thigh, taking its weight. "It was because of you ass. I knew anybody with an ass like that, had to have a face to match it," she playfully revealed, thankful when a small giggle left the blonde's mouth.

"Why does anything you say make me feel better?" Arizona tearfully asked, barely managing to open her eyes. The pain was beginning to dim, and Arizona was starting to discover that Callie Torres was the only brand of painkiller that could actually help her.

The words hit Callie hard, the force behind them shocking her. "Why does seeing you in this much pain only make me want to be with you more?" She wanted to be here for Arizona, wanted to be her rock, wanted to be the person she could rely on when things got this hard. Callie wanted to be Arizona's everything.

"Don't," Arizona begged, shaking her head. "I couldn't let you deal with this, Callie." She help up her finger to Callie's lips, silencing whatever was about to leave that beautiful mouth. "This isn't fair to you, so ple-please don't say things like that."

Callie nodded, not wanting to put the blonde through anymore pain than she was already in. "Try and go to sleep," she softly said, her hand becoming numb from the freezing cold ice.

"I can't," Arizona mumbled, covering Callie's hand with her own. "The pain's still pretty bad."

Shifting over closer, Callie pulled Arizona against her chest, hugging her close. She had forgotten that Arizona was only in her underwear, the feel of naked skin against her hand the only thing reminding her. "Just close your eyes," she soothed gently, softly tickling the back of Arizona's clammy neck.

That thing Callie did to the back of her neck always seemed to put her to sleep straight away. "Your hand must be freezing," Arizona sighed out sadly, her eyelids beginning to droop.

Callie's eyes filled with tears. She couldn't take what Arizona was going through; it was killing her. "I can handle it, don't worry."

For the next half hour, Callie continued to talk Arizona down when the pain seemed to flare up. All too soon, the feel of Arizona's soft breath into the side of her neck and the soft hum of the TV, was the only thing Callie could hear. A little while later, whilst Arizona was still sleeping soundly, Callie carefully extracted herself from the blonde's embrace. She tucked the covers around Arizona's body, softly brushing the bangs away from her peaceful face, before heading to the kitchen

The tears could not been stopped. Leaning her elbows down on the kitchen counter, Callie cried heavily into her own hands, hating that there was nothing she could do to help Arizona. The woman she cared about more than anything, was going through hell, and Callie felt useless, helpless

Someone like Arizona didn't deserve this. And because of what she was going through — Arizona thought she didn't deserve Callie.

And it was slowly killing the both of them.

* * *

Blinking sleepily, Arizona nestled further into the warm embrace, sighing contently. It was only then did she smell the distinct aroma of Calliope's perfume — she knew that scent anywhere. Flashes of what had happened earlier played over in Arizona's mind, causing her to become hot with anger and embarrassment. What had happened, was exactly why Arizona didn't want Callie to be with her.

How would it be fair to lay all that on someone?

How would it be fair to Calliope if she had to deal with that more often than not?

Arizona couldn't to that to her. No matter how much Callie insisted, Arizona just _couldn't_ do that to her. Shifting out of the warm embrace, Arizona sat up in the bed, brushing the messy hair away from her forehead. She felt disgusting and needed a shower, but glancing at the clock, she noted that it was 2am; far too late for a shower.

The _episode_ from earlier was the worst the Phantom Limb had ever been. As strange as it sounded, everything seemed to be a blur. All she seemed to remember was Callie just..._being there_.

Like she always was.

Sensing movement, Callie spotted the figure sitting up in bed. "What?" she spoke sleepily, sitting up to mirror Arizona's position. She placed a gentle hand on the blonde's naked back. "Is it hurting again?"

Arizona was overwhelmed with a feeling of guilt. "No," she replied softly, giving the Latina a small smile. "I just needed some water." It was the truth — she had woken up extremely thirty.

Grabbing the remote, Callie switched the TV off, plunging the room into complete darkness. "Go back to sleep." Laying back down on the bed, she left her arms open for Arizona to snuggle into. "You must be exhausted," she sighed with sympathy.

Knowing how easy it would be to fall asleep in Callie's arms, Arizona practically fell into them, burrowing her head into a warm neck. "I'm sorry," she apologized earnestly, placing her hand over Callie's heart. "You shouldn't have had to deal with that."

"Don't ever apologize for that; you don't have any control over it," Callie tried to reason, placing a soft kiss on Arizona's forehead. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Arizona only sighed in response, allowing her eyelids to flutter closed.

The blaring of a pager roused both women out of sleep. Sitting upright, Callie scooted off the bed, a groan leaving her lips when she saw that it was hers. "It's mine," she revealed to the now-awake blonde. "It's not 911." Now that she was out of the bed, getting back in it wasn't really an option.

Noting the way Callie's eyes were looking at her expectantly, Arizona sighed. "I'll be fine; you should go."

The look on Arizona's face was easy to detect; it was a look between confusion and embarrassment. "Do you wanna talk about —"

"No," Arizona sharply declined, her jaw setting. "It's enough that you had to deal with it — you shouldn't have to talk about it, too." Those defensive structures Arizona had built in the aftermath of losing her leg, were standing tall. "Thank you for being there for me," she said sincerely, crossing her arms over her chest.

Callie's pager rang out again, making her sigh out in frustration. She knew that if Arizona didn't talk about it now, then the blonde probably wouldn't _ever_ talk about. And the events of last night _had_ to be talked about.

But Callie's pager was betraying her.

Betraying them.

"Go, Callie," Arizona instructed, sounding completely lost. "You need to go."

Callie dropped her head, slowly making her way towards the door. Once at the door, Callie turned around. "This doesn't change the fact that I wanna be with you. I hope you know that."

With a sad look on her face, Arizona watched Callie leave her bedroom.

And she was left feeling more confused than she had ever felt in her whole life.

* * *

**I really like Superhero movies...if that part wasn't clear by this chapter; I always pictured Callie as a little bit of a nerd. So...yeah. Now, the severity of Arizona's pain has been revealed — I kind of hope it's clear why she's hesitating to be with Callie. Bad news, though...I know I've been updating every two days. But that won't happen this week as I'm going away on a short trip with family — please don't kill me. I hope no one is offended by the last scene. If you are, I'm very sorry! Loving all the great reviews and PMs, guys. Once again — you all rock!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I made a mistake and had to go back and fix it. So if any of you were wondering why the story disappeared for around a half hour after it was published; that's why.**

* * *

**I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters ya'll. **

* * *

Glancing from side to side, looking through the crowd of people that Chief Webber had gathered, Callie felt disappointed when she did not see Arizona within the large crowd. Webber had only called everybody together, a few minutes ago, so she didn't really expect Arizona to be here. Callie just happened to be walking past when she saw Webber in front of a large crowd, instructing everyone that he was going to make some form of announcement.

Just as Webber stepped up to the stairs — so he could tower over and see everyone — Callie felt someone come up to stand next to her. She didn't need to look to know that it was Arizona.

"Hey," Arizona greeted quietly, shooting Callie a small, nervous smile.

It was the first time they had saw each other since Monday night — the night Arizona suffered from a severe case of Phantom Limb. Callie had been at the hospital until Monday night, whilst Arizona was off. And then Arizona was in on Tuesday, whilst that just happened to be Callie's day off. Both had felt rather nervous about seeing each other, but for entirely different reasons.

Callie returned the smile. But before she could open her mouth to say _hello_, Webber's voice cut through the chatter of the hospital staff.

"Alright, everybody. Settle down," Webber ushered, clearing his throat. "Now, I know a lot of people couldn't make this _meeting_ on such short notice."

"That's because you only gave us ten minutes notice," Bailey interrupted with a pointed glare, earning a roll of the eyes from Webber.

Webber shot Bailey a fake smile. "_Thank you_, Dr. Bailey." He gathered his composure before continuing again. "I called this meeting because, around a half hour ago, I received an impromptu email from The Board." Upon hearing this, several whispers echoed around the room. A grimace was suddenly on Webber's face. "They informed me that several members of The Board would coming here _today_, to make sure everything at Seattle Grace Mercy West is running smoothly," he finished, not looking at all amused.

"So, what does that mean?" Derek Shepherd enquired, looking a little confused.

"It means that I'll be giving them a tour of the hospital, and they'll probably look in on a couple of surgeries," Webber replied dully, looking like he was completely dreading the day ahead. "Now," he began, the stern _Chief_ tone now present in his voice. "They'll be looking at how sanitary the facilities are, which means that they will be going into on-call rooms." At the mention of the word, several people looked away from the Chief's gaze. "Unless you are about to pass out from sheer exhaustion — nobody is entering an on-call room today!"

When met with silence, Webber carried on. "I want everybody on your best behaviour, so save the funny business for when you get home," he grumbled out, glancing at his watch. "Dismissed!"

Slowly, the crowd dwindled into nothing as everyone went back to what they were doing. Arizona turned to Callie, a contemplative look on her face. "I was gonna go grab lunch from that Thai place down the street. You wanna come with?" the blonde curiously asked.

The blatant _ignoring what happened_ was greatly anticipated by Callie — she just knew Arizona would have this reaction. "Are we really gonna do this?" She turned to look at the confused blonde.

Arizona scrunched her face adorably. "Well, if you wanna eat in the cafeteria, then we can. I just —"

"Not _this_, Arizona," Callie interrupted with a heavy sigh. "I mean — are we really going to pretend that Monday night didn't happen?" The disturbed look on Arizona's face was the last thing Callie wanted to see, but she cared too much to just ignore what had happened.

Arizona really liked that Calliope cared, but sometimes she wished Callie would ignore it. "Callie," Arizona began with a sigh, not knowing how to word what she was about to say without sounding like a complete bitch. "I was in pain and I cried, and you were there for me like you always are. But it's fine, okay?" She knew this wasn't going to make Callie back off. "I'm embarrassed, and I just..." she cut herself off, looking away from Callie's questioning eyes. "I hate that you had to see me like that."

"What do you mean?" Callie's heart constricted in her chest. She hated that Arizona looked so sad and embarrassed. "You don't have anything to be embarrassed about," she reminded gently, only to have the blonde immediately shake her head and look away. Arizona was positively the most stubborn person Callie had ever came across, and it drove her absolutely crazy. "Can we just — come by the lab later and we can look at some techniques. Please?" Her voice was pleading, almost desperate as she continued to look at Arizona.

A few seconds of silence passed before Arizona started to shake her head. "I appreciate that, Callie. I really, really do," Arizona sincerely said, a gratifying smile on her face. "But I don't need any help."

Callie had to bite her tongue to stop from snapping. "Arizona, nobody deserves to go through what you're going through."

"Callie," Arizona halted what the Latina was about to say next. "Monday night was..." easily one of the worst nights of her life, "awful," she finished, her voice distant and off. "But it's not always like that. I can handle it." She placed a reassuring hand on Callie's arm. "Trust me, I'm fine."

Nothing good was going to come from starting an argument in the middle of the corridor, Callie decided. "Fine," she regretfully conceded, stepping away from Arizona's soft, gentle touch. "I have to go do some paperwork."

"You don't wanna go get lunch?" Arizona tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but she knew she had failed. She had clearly upset Callie.

"No," Callie declined, and then began to walk away. "I'm _fine_."

Arizona nodded stiffly when Callie was out of sight. That had went well.

* * *

"Alex," Arizona called out when she spotted her resident waiting for the elevator. "I need you to do my appy at two o'clock. Bailey needs me to scrub in with her, so I can't make it."

Alex looked disappointed. "An appy?" he questioned with a scowl. "Don't you have anything a little more interesting?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Arizona glared at him. "Maybe if you wish hard enough, the kid's appendix might rupture before you get a chance to scrub in!" Arizona sarcastically stated, shaking her head in annoyance at him. "Deal with it, Karev!"

"Fine," Alex grunted, a sly grin on his face. "So, guess what I overhead earlier?"

"Since when do you engage in hospital gossip?" Arizona smirked at him.

"Since I overhead the new Neuro nurse, Amanda, asking if _Dr. Torres_ happened to be seeing anybody." He could barely hold back his grin as his boss's face fumed with rage.

Arizona squared her jaw, every nerve in her body feeling like someone had just set it on fire. "She _what_?" She was raging, confused, scared — what if this person _did_ ask Callie out? Even though Arizona didn't have a right to feel like this — Callie wasn't her girlfriend — the thought of someone else going near her Callie made her feel sick to her stomach.

"I know." Alex nodded along with what his boss was feeling. "So, I interrupted them and said that you were dating Torres."

"You _what_?!" Arizona wanted to be mad at him for lying about it, but she really, really couldn't. She had to refrain from hugging and thanking him.

Alex looked her up and down, a scowl on his face. "I did you a favor," he informed, like it was completely obvious and he deserved a reward. "I put your should-be-girl off the market. Doesn't that earn me something better than a stupid appy?"

Confused by just about every single thing going on in her life, Arizona didn't know where to start. "I don't actually remember talking to you about me and Callie." She raised an eyebrow at him, confused to how he knew something was going on with them.

"You didn't have to," Alex replied sharply. "You taught me to be extremely observant, but it's kind of screwed you over on this occasion."

Slumping against the nearest wall, Arizona let out a heavy breath. "You shouldn't have said that, Alex." It wasn't fair to control who Callie was, or wasn't, going to date; she didn't have that right. "Callie can date whoever she wants," she said, but didn't sound pleased about it.

"Why aren't you dating Torres, anyway?" Alex hesitantly asked, unsure if his head was about to be bit off.

The reason really wasn't that clear, anymore — especially after Callie had witnessed the disaster of Monday night. The desire to just be with Callie, was almost painful. "Because I'm an idiot," Arizona replied cryptically.

"Right," Alex mumbled awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably from side to side. "What happened with you and her? You bang her whilst she was here?"

"Alex!" Arizona hissed loudly, subconsciously looking around to see if any gossipers were lurking around. She supposed it didn't really matter if they were; Alex had announced that she and Callie were an item, anyway. The rumors were probably spreading by the second.

Alex grinned confidently. "That's clearly a _yes_," he laughed when all the blonde did was look away from his gaze. "Dude, you look troubled." His face changed from teasing to a look of concern.

"Yeah," came the distant response from Arizona. She really needed to talk to Callie, but not about Monday night. Somehow, that didn't really seem possible, though.

"You wanna go to Joe's tonight and drink away all our problems?" Alex asked softly, looking a tad sheepish.

It was a bad thing if Alex Karev was being nice, Arizona knew that straight away. A drink with Alex wouldn't be the worst thing ever. "Sure," Arizona decided with a shrug.

"Meet you there after shift?" There was a small smile on his face as he asked, almost like he was excited.

Arizona nodded; there wasn't really anything else she could do, or say. "Fine."

"Fine," Alex said in return. And then turned on his heel to leave.

* * *

Arizona was being a stalker, that much she was sure. For the past ten minutes, she had been filling out _charts_, whilst she secretly waited for Callie to exit her office. It was pathetic, she knew that. But she also knew that Callie hadn't made the move to talk to her since this morning — which meant Callie was pissed.

So, she had decided to just _run_ into Callie by chance, and see if that gave her any luck. It was weird, but Arizona sort of _felt_ like they were a couple; they did everything that couples did. They liked each other. They flirted like crazy. They brought each other lunch when they knew the other was busy. They did that creepy stare-y thing when they thought the other didn't notice.

Broke out of her thoughts by the sound of an office door opening, Arizona looked up in time to see Calliope exit her office and head for the elevator. Deciding to play it cool, the blonde walked out from behind the nurses station. "Hey, Callie," she greeted casually.

"Hey," Callie replied, though she didn't look up from her phone.

Knowing the tone immediately, Arizona grabbed Callie's scrub-clad elbow and dragged her into the stairwell. "You're pissed at me," she stated without any hint of hesitation.

"I'm not pissed," Callie lied, slipping her phone into her pocket. She wasn't so much pissed at Arizona — it was more frustration. Arizona continued to stare until Callie gave in. "I'm worried about you."

If Arizona had one weakness, it was Calliope Torres' worried voice. It just about shattered her heart into a million pieces every time she heard it. "You don't have to worry about me," Arizona said softly, her eyes full of emotion.

"That's easy for you to say," Callie shot back, the volume of her voice beginning to raise. "Look, I know Monday must have been terrifying for you, and I'm not trying to make this about me." She could feel her voice beginning to crack. "But, do you have any idea what it was like for me to see you like that?" she rhetorically asked, looking deep into those baby blues she loved so much. "Do you know how much it killed me to see you in so much pain?"

Again, Arizona's heart was shattered. If it wasn't the emotion in the voice that broke her, it was the emotion swirling in those dark brown chocolate orbs. And right now, they were screaming with emotion. She was the one that put that sadness there. She was the one that cause Callie's voice to almost break. And that killed her.

Callie continued before Arizona got the chance to do so. "I'm scared that this is going to eat you alive, Arizona," Callie painfully revealed, her facial features hardening. "You don't talk about your problems. You just...bottle up everything inside."

"I don't have problems, Callie," Arizona shot back harshly, unable to control the slight edge her voice held. "I have a residual limb that flares up every now and then."

Callie's mouth fell open. "_Flares up every now and then_?" she repeated incredulously. It was hard to get over how much Arizona was downplaying this. "That's how you're going to describe it?" She needed Arizona to understand how serious this was. "You thought — you thought you were in the woods. Tha-that's how bad it was," she stated quietly, her entire being pleading with Arizona to understand.

"Don't you _ever_ mention the woods to me!" Arizona demanded coldly, the sound of her own voice even shocking herself. She could feel herself becoming consumed with rage at what Callie was trying to do.

If she wasn't so enraged, the tone of Arizona's voice would have made Callie take a step backwards. It was kind of terrifying, and the darkened hint to those blue eyes didn't help matters. Callie had never saw the blonde look so angry. But Callie was angry, too.

And Arizona Robbins had finally met her match.

"No!" Callie shook her head adamantly, taking a step towards the wide-eyed blonde. "You can play that bullshit with Teddy, or April, or whoever the hell else. But you're not going to play that with me!" She could virtually feel the steam coming out of Arizona's ears. "I know you, Arizona. And I know that you're scared."

"I'm not scared!" Arizona yelled back, the volume of her voice now matching Callie's. She knew for sure that whoever was within 10ft of the stairwell, could most likely hear them screaming at each other. But she didn't really care.

Laughing emptily, Callie took a step forward, looking like an animal about to pounce on its prey. "You're good at a lot of things, Arizona." She made sure to look into Arizona's eyes, wanting the blonde to know what she was trying to say. "But lying isn't one of them," Callie finished, blocking Arizona's path when the blonde made a move for the exit.

Blowing out a shaky breath, Arizona tried to calm herself down. "Back. Off," she demanded fiercely, her blue eyes turning to steel.

Callie held her ground — something that no one had ever had the guts to do with Arizona when she was in such a state of anger. "I'm not gonna back off." She had a feeling that this was going to make them, or break them; time would soon tell. "Tell me what you're scared of."

"Get the hell out my way!" Arizona all but screamed, again trying to move past the Latina. But she got nowhere.

"NO!" Callie stayed directly in front of the fuming blonde, her heart beating in anticipation at what Arizona was going to say next.

And then Arizona snapped.

But not in the way either of them had been expecting.

Grasping Callie's face as hard as she could, Arizona crashed their lips together in the most aggressive kiss either of them had ever experienced. Once Callie realized what was happening, she returned the kiss as feverously as possible, holding onto Arizona's hips in a vice-like grip.

Groaning as Callie's tongue swept over her own, Arizona walked them backwards, effectively slamming Callie up against the nearest wall as their tongues continued to battle harshly against one another. She felt Callie try to change their positions, but she used all her strength to stay in control.

Callie sucked on Arizona's tongue hard enough to draw blood, but neither were complaining — they both wanted it desperately. Wanted each other desperately.

"And out here we have..." Webber's voice cut through the heavy groaning, but he cut himself off when he saw his two surgeons locked in a fierce kiss.

They both eased out of the kiss, faces going bright red as they saw the Chief, and five very flustered looking members of the board standing watching them.

"Out here, we have my Head of Pediatrics making out with my Head of Orthopedics." Webber looked like he wanted to murder them both. "Say hello to The Board, Ladies," he said through gritted teeth.

"Hi, Board."

"Hello, Board."

came the sheepish responses from the two blushing women.

There was a heavy, awkward silence. No one knew where to look. No one knew what to say. Arizona and Callie were forced against a wall, just an inch between them, whilst the other six people continued to stare at them.

"Dr. Robbins and Dr. Torres are never like this, but they..." Webber hesitated, in need of a decent explanation. "They just got engaged a few weeks ago. Isn't that right, ladies?" He gave them the eye, silently telling them both to agree.

"Right, yeah," Callie caught on, nudging her _fiancées_ arm.

Arizona managed a tight smile. "I just couldn't go another day without her," she laughed awkwardly, a grimace on her face.

The tension seemed to ease dramatically, several _congratulations_ being aimed at the two of them. The Board now looked like they were finding the situation kind of funny.

Unfortunately for everybody, though, two of the Board members were women.

And women just loved weddings.

"Who proposed to who?" An older blonde in her fifties asked.

"Arizona finally stepped up," Callie declared, just as Arizona was about to do the same. She could feel Arizona's gaze on her, making it difficult to hold back a smirk.

Another board member, Audrey, placed a delicate hand over her heart. "Tell us how you did it," she gushed enthusiastically.

Everybody, including Callie, looked at the blonde expectantly. "Yes!" Callie agreed emphatically. "Tell them how you did it, _honey_." This was priceless — the shocked look on Arizona's face was just..._priceless_.

Arizona opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Everyone was staring at her, waiting to hear a story that didn't even exist. Closing her eyes, Arizona let the words make themselves. "I um — I ruined _what-should-have-been _our first Valanetine's Day, and I...I never really forgave myself for that. We ended up having a pretty huge fight that day. And I know that Callie always associated that fight with Valentine's Day, so I wanted to give her something else to remember it by." The words were leaving her mouth, but Arizona wasn't really _hearing_ them. She was on complete auto-pilot.

She gave a small laugh before she said the next bit. "We both have this thing...where we think that red roses are really cliché. So, on our first date, I bought Callie pink roses and she bought me white." Callie was looking at her, Arizona knew that, but for some strange, unbeknownst reason — Arizona couldn't look back. "I covered our apartment in pink and white rose petals. And when she came home, I just — I just asked her to marry me." She was suddenly feeling a little sheepish with several sets of eyes on her; one set in particular.

"It doesn't sound very romantic," Arizona laughed out, still refraining from looking at Callie. "But we like simple things. We don't need constant over-the-top statements to remind us that we...we love each other." She closed her eyes as she said the words, the thumping in her chest making it hard to focus. "And she drives me crazy. She drives me so, _so_ crazy." Finally, Arizona gave in and looked at Callie, finding entranced brown eyes looking back at her. "But I can't live without her. She's my everything," Arizona finished quietly, looking dead into Callie's eyes.

"That might possibly be the most romantic story I've ever heard," Helen, the older blonde, emotionally revealed, looking between the two women.

Silently agreeing with the statement, Callie swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. It was just a story. It was a stupid, made up story that Arizona came up with, off the top of her head. But it felt so real, felt like Arizona had meant every single word she had just said. All Callie could do was hope and dream...that maybe, one day, the story Arizona had just told — would come true.

And it did.

* * *

Lifting an eyebrow in amusement, Addison watched on as her best friend entered her office with a heavy sigh, and then proceeded to throw herself down onto the couch. This could only mean one thing. "Are SGMW hottest _non-couple_ having problems?"

Callie growled loudly. "We had a fight." And then the hottest kiss ever. And then Arizona had gone and told the most romantic story known to man. And it was still only four o'clock in the afternoon. She really needed to go home and forget about this day.

Addison perched her elbows on her desk. "What caused this lovers tiff?"

"She's just...dealing with some stuff," Callie cryptically informed, not wanting to reveal any private information. "And we got into a really big fight about it."

Knowing not to ask about the _stuff_, Addison steered clear of it. "What kind of a fight?"

"Quite a bad one," Callie sighed out, rolling to lay on her side. "We were kind of screaming at each other in the stairwell." The next part was hugely embarrassing and she guessed half the hospital probably already knew about it.

"And then what happened?" Addison pressed, shamefully enjoying the story.

Closing her eyes, Callie threw her hand over her eyes. "The Chief and five members of the board walked in."

"Well, it doesn't get any worse than th—"

"Whilst we had our tongues down each other throats, and Arizona had me pinned against the wall," Callie finished before Addison got the chance.

Speechless, Addison's mouth fell agape in shock. "How...What? I don't?"

"I have no idea," Callie clarified, looking just as shocked as Addison. "When did my life become more dramatic than a TV show?"

Addison gave a half nod. "Probably right around the time you fell in love with Arizona Robbins."

"Don't even mention that word to me!" Callie snapped, heaving herself upwards to sit normally.

"Right," Addison agreed, adjusting the glasses that were resting on her nose. "I forgot we hadn't talked about that part, yet; one step at a time. So, what happened after the kiss?"

Wanting to keep the proposal part to herself, Callie decided to skip that piece. "She got paged and had to leave."

"Your kids are gonna have a whale of a time when they ask how you two ended up getting together." Addison began to laugh, finding herself nothing less than completely hysterical. Callie's death glare abruptly cut her off, however. Coughing to let her laughter die down, Addison gave a shameful shake of the head. "It's not funny," she quietly said, struggling to hold in her laughter. "Why don't you try and forget about Arizona for a little while?" She knew Callie wouldn't; she just wanted to see the reaction.

"Why don't you try _shutting the hell up_?" Callie shot back sarcastically. "I can't forget about her. She's just.." the words died on her tongue when she realized what they meant. There was absolutely no turning back now. "She's my every single thought. So, I can't forget about her."

Addison sighed sympathetically. "You two need to sit down and have a real conversation."

"I don't really think we're capable of that," Callie laughed, falling back to lay on the couch again. "Do you believe that there's only one person out there for everybody?"

Pondering it, Addison tilted her head. "I think that...I do," she decided, but sounded a little hesitant. "Do you?"

Callie hadn't believed it until she met Arizona Robbins. "Yeah," she softly whispered, touching her fingertips to her lips. She vowed they were still tingling after Arizona had kissed her so passionately.

"And, do you believe that Arizona is that person?" Addison inquired, a small smile on her face.

"I do," Callie admitted quietly, her voice barely audible. "I really, really do." She believed it more than anything. It was the _getting it to happen_ that was proving to be the problem.

Shrugging, Addison sat back on her chair. "Well, you know what they say...The course of true love never runs smoothly."

Callie figured the statement hadn't ever fit two people so perfectly.

* * *

_9:20pm_

Throwing herself into the seat that was next to where Alex was sitting, Arizona dropped her bag to the floor and waved Joe over. "I need tequila."

Turning to face his clearly-flustered boss, Alex raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you drink tequila?"

"Since I need to forget about everything that happened today," Arizona sighed, quickly accepting the shot that was put down in front of her. Closing her eyes, she tipped her head back, allowing the burning liquid to glide down her throat.

"What's got McPerky down in the dumps?" Following the blonde's lead, Alex quickly guzzled another shot. "More Torres problems?"

Already feeling a little light-headed, Arizona shifted to face him. "I had an argument with Callie, and we both got...pretty mad at each other." She had contemplated texting or calling Callie, but had decided to give the Latina some space. They were clearly just as bad as each other when it came to being stubborn.

"Is she the reason you don't scan the bar anymore?" Alex looked at her expectantly, his facial features soft and non-judging.

Frowning, Arizona didn't have a clue what he was talking about. "What does that mean?"

"It means that before you met Torres, the first thing you always did, was scan the bar for hot chicks," Alex explained, sipping from his beer. "You don't do that, anymore."

The realization hit Arizona like a train colliding with her entire body. "I don't scan the bar, anymore," she whispered quietly, more to herself than to Alex. It wasn't something she ever noticed, but as soon as Alex voiced it, Arizona realized that it _was_ something she used to do. "I haven't noticed any other women, since I met Callie."

Noticing the slightly freaked out look on her face, Alex waved Joe over again. "I think we're gonna need some more drinks."

_10:10pm_

"So, you're like...totally not a slut, anymore?" Alex drunkenly asked, sloppily leaning on his elbow.

Arizona looked more than a little offended. "I was never a slut!" she defended, her words now beginning to sound worse than slurred. She hadn't been properly drunk since the crash, but right now, Arizona was hammered.

Alex shook his head in laughter at the comment. "Dude, you've probably slept with more women than I have. And I have slept with _a lot_ of women." He smirked at her, almost like he was waiting for a high five or congratulations.

Deciding not to take the bait, Arizona ignored the comment. He was clearly asking for her magic number, and she was _not_ giving him it. "I'm very happy for you," she mumbled out, pouring another shot from the bottle that Joe had left with them.

"I've had the worst day," came the high pitched, annoyed voice from behind them.

"Join the club," Alex grunted, offering the bottle towards April Kepner.

Screwing her eyes up, Arizona tried her best to focus on April. "More Jackson problems?" She was past that stage of not feeling the burn of the alcohol; everything just felt like water. This wasn't really going to turn out well tomorrow.

"I'm staying single and dying alone!" April dramatically stated, lining up several shot glasses.

"I don't think you're single by choice, Apes," Alex commented sarcastically, chuckling to himself.

April glared at him harshly, her jaw set. "Suck it!"

And then there were three.

_11:35pm_

"You see, the thing about Callie," Arizona began with a sigh. "I'm not being biased, I'm really, really not. But Callie, she's...she's like a gift from gods." Things had started to get emotional, and Arizona was in the midst of spilling her heart out about Callie. "She's the most perfect human being I've ever met," she slurred out, scooting her chair over closer to the other two, who were listening in with eager ears. "She's beautiful. And she's funny...God, she's so funny. And it's in the most dorkiest, adorable way possible. You know when someone's funny like that?" Arizona grinned goofily, looking at the two empty faces expectantly. "She always makes me laugh, you —"

"Your girlfriend's funny. We get it," April cut in, patting the blonde on the back several times. "Could you imagine if you two had kids? With your eyes, her lips, your ass, and her legs. God, that kid would go places!"

Alex nodded in agreement. "Serious places!"

"What's...sex like?" April blurted out, almost turning as red as her hair by the time the question was over.

Alex looked like he had just won the lottery. "I knew you were still a virgin!" he laughed, pointing an accusing finger in her face.

"I meant sex with women!" April yelled, making several people turn to look at them. Blushing even more, she looked away from the questioning stares. "What's it like? You know, compared to being with a guy?"

"You want Robbins to show you?" Alex suggested, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at them both.

Smirking, Arizona shook her head in amusement. "I've never been with a guy."

"You haven't?" April asked, looking a little shocked. "Why not?"

Arizona just stared, a blank expression on her face. "Probably because I'm a lesbian," she revealed, sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Right. That makes sense," April nodded along enthusiastically. "Does Callie like...throw you around? You know...in bed?"

Shocked, Arizona looked at Alex in time to see him throw his head back in laughter. How she had got to the point where April Kepner was asking her sex questions, Arizona had absolutely no idea. "Are you asking me if I like it rough?"

"What?" April gasped out, choking on her drink. "No, I...No!"

"Dude, do you like...think about her and Torres having sex?" Alex looked at her disbelieving, judgingly. "Because that's what it seems like."

By now, April's face was blood red. "No! No!" she profusely denied, her voice reaching a brand new level of loud. "It's just — you seem really sweet and innocent. And Callie seems like...she'd throw you around like a rag doll."

The scenario didn't really sound like it was a bad thing, Arizona thought to herself. "I can handle it," the blonde brushed the comment off, finding it completely hilarious. _She_ was the one who was in charge of Callie in the bedroom; not the other way around.

"You've never had the urge to ever be with a guy?" Alex changed the subject, curious all of a sudden.

"Nope," Arizona replied, defiantly shaking her head. "Never even kissed a guy."

Looking like she had seen a ghost, April's mouth fell open. "Shut up?!"

Continuing to shake her head, Arizona downed the rest of her wine. "Seriously! I've never had the..." but the words were cut off. Because the next thing Arizona knew, Alex had grabbed the front of her shirt and pressed their lips together. His lips were rough and tasted like tequila — and it took Arizona only a split second to realize that she never wanted to kiss anyone apart from Callie Torres. "What the hell?!" She forcefully pushed him away, immediately claiming a napkin to wipe her lips. "Why would you _ever_ do that?" she spat in disgust, a heavy scowl on her face.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Alex took a long sip from his beer. "Nobody can go there entire life without ever kissing a guy."

"Well, now I can't!" Arizona yelled, somewhat looking like she was going to be sick. It felt wrong, and not because he was a guy. But because the lips that had just touched her own, did not belong to the woman she couldn't stop thinking about. She only wanted to kiss Callie.

E_ver._

April was howling with laughter, head in her hands. "You just made-out...with Alex...Karev," she sputtered out, unable to stop the giggles from spilling from her lips.

"So have you!" Alex shot back, the comment making the laughter abruptly stop. "You guys are like my bitches." He grinned crookedly, feeling like a king as he wrapped his arms around their shoulders, only to immediately be swatted away.

_1:25am_

"We should go play baseball," Alex said, closing one eye to regain his drunken focus.

"We don't have a bat," Arizona reminded, laying her head down on the bar to stop the room from spinning.

April tilted her head, curiously looking at the blonde. "We could use your leg?" There was a tense silence for about two seconds before all three of them burst into a fit of laughter, the noise echoing around the bar.

"Well, this is a group I never thought I'd see," Addison commented, coming up to stand next to the group sitting at the bar.

"Hey," Alex greeted smoothly, sitting up a little in straighter in his chair.

Despite being out-her-face-hammered, Arizona could tell that Addison knew what had happened between her and Callie. "Hey, have you spoke to Callie? Has she said anything?"

Addison looked contemplative for a second before she replied, "Other than the fact that you guys had a huge fight, and then aggressively made-out, whilst the Chief and The Board watched on?" She raised an eyebrow as Alex and April began to laugh hysterically. "No, she hasn't said anything," the red head encouraged sarcastically. Knowing the blonde was beyond hammered, she withdrew her phone and sent a quick text to her best friend.

_Your girl's at Joe's and she's completely wasted. The bar closes in a half hour. So I assume you'll be here to take her home in 15?_

_1:45am_

Spotting that unmistakable flash of dark, raven hair, Arizona slipped off the bar stool, stumbling towards the woman who had just entered. "Callie," she greeted with a grin, throwing her arms around the taller woman's neck, breathing in the irresistible scent that was completely Callie Torres.

The force of the hug knocked Callie back a few steps, but she quickly regained her footing. "You're really drunk." 'Drunk Arizona' was a version of the blonde Callie had never seen. But if she was anything like 'Tipsy Arizona', Callie guessed she was a horny devil.

"I'm really sorry about earlier," Arizona sighed out, softly running her hands through that long, dark hair. "I hate it when we fight."

Callie fought to keep the grin off her face; Arizona was an adorable drunken mess. "I do, too," she agreed, squeezing the blonde's waist reassuringly. She tried to pull back, but Arizona refused to let up, the grip around her neck tightening.

"You smell amazing," Arizona stated dreamily, fighting the urge to run her tongue along the smooth skin of that long, tanned neck. "Especially after a bath. Remember when we used to take those really long baths together?" Baths with Callie were her favorite.

At that particular moment, Joe decided to turn the music off, making everyone turn to look at them both when Arizona's comment rang out through the bar.

Groaning, Callie pulled out of the hug, looking anywhere but at the people who were staring at them. "I'm gonna take you home, okay?"

Ignoring the comment, Arizona joined their hands, pulling Callie towards the bar. "Joe," she loudly called out, animatedly waving him over. "Can you get the pretty lady a drink, please?"

Shooting the bartender an apologetic smile, Callie grabbed Arizona's hips, spinning the blonde to look at her. "Sweetie, the bar's closing. I'm not here to get a drink; I'm here to take you home."

"But...why is the bar closing?" Glancing between Callie and Joe, Arizona looked positively confused about what was going on. "Did somebody put you out of business?" Arizona worriedly asked, leaning her elbows on the bar.

Joe looked to the brunette for help, but all he received was a mild shake of the head. "It's just...time to close the bar, Arizona," he awkwardly revealed before walking away.

"Why buy a bar if you're never going to open it, you know?" Arizona looked at Callie, fully expecting an answer. When she didn't get one, a sly grin formed on her face, and she pulled the Latina in by the lapels of her leather jacket. "You know what I was thinking about earlier?" she whispered seductively, biting her lip.

Callie braced her hands on either sides of Arizona's hips, effectively pinning the blonde to the bar. It was strangely similar to the position there were in earlier today, whilst in the stairwell. "Putting on your jacket, and letting me take you home?"

Arizona's dimples lit up her cheeks, the force of her grin almost blinding. "No." She leaned in to whisper into Callie's ear, her lips touching the shell as she spoke. "Do you remember that time you asked me to do that _thing_ for you?" Even in her blitzed out state, the audible hitch in Callie's voice was clear. "And you got so, _so_ turned on," she groaned out, feeling a heat begin to coil, low in her stomach.

Swallowing hard, Callie's face obtained a mild blush. "Why don't we try and keep that to ourselves, huh?" She quickly realized that _home_, was not a place she was going to be, any time soon.

"I think about you watching me..._all the time_," Arizona revealed in a low whisper, her blue eyes taking up a darkened edge. "Don't you ever think about it?"

Callie couldn't find the words to respond. Of course she thought about it — she thought about it all the time. It was the hottest thing she had ever witnessed.

_"I had a dream about you last night," Callie revealed, a teasing smile on her face._

_Arizona looked surprised. "You did?" She knew almost instantly by the look in Callie's eyes, that the dream was, most certainly, a sex dream. "Was I naked in this dream?"_

_Slowly, Callie trailed her hand up the inside of Arizona's right thigh, stopping just short of where they both wanted her hand to be. "Maybe..." she decided, shrugging a little._

_Suddenly remembering something, Arizona smirked up at Callie. "I uh — I sort of had a sex dream about you before we hooked up," came the whispered admission._

_"You little sex pest!" Callie grinned, the force of it almost making her cheeks hurt. She would never have guessed Arizona Robbins to be such a sex-obsessed maniac — not that she was going to complain. "Was it good?"_

_Softly shaking her head, Arizona's throat suddenly went dry. "We didn't get to the good part," she sadly informed, watching on as Callie's hand moved to the top of her shorts._

_"That must have left you...pretty frustrated?" Callie guessed, her hand not yet crossing the threshold of those tiny boy shorts. "Did you.." she could barely get the words out; the anticipation of wanting to know, was killing her. "Did you finish the job yourself?"_

_"I didn't," Arizona said quietly, subconsciously allowing her thighs to drift further apart._

_Callie frowned in disappointment. "Why not?" Her panties were drenched, slick heat coating her center at the thought of Arizona taking part in such an activity. "I really wish you did," she husked out, grasping Arizona's hand, leading it south._

_"You want me to?" Arizona whispered, the indication of what Callie wanted now blatantly clear. When near-black eyes locked on her own, Arizona smirked confidently. "That's really doing it for you?"_

_Callie looked at the blonde like she was completely insane — how could Arizona even ask such a stupid question? "You mean the thought of you...touching yourself...whilst thinking about me?" She had never felt so turned on in her entire life. If Arizona touched her right now, Callie was sure it wouldn't take her more than three seconds to fall over the edge. "You have no idea how much that turns me on," she groaned out, her voice filled with want._

_There was a look in Callie's eyes that Arizona had never seen before. Making up her mind, the blonde sat up and kicked off her sleep shorts, leaving her bottom half completely naked. She noticed Callie's mouth had feel open, the breaths coming out in short rasps. "What?"_

_"You're...you're really going to?" Callie asked, her eyes bulging out of her head as a fair hand moved down to cup the blonde's mound. "Holy shit." She felt like a teenage boy watching porn for the first time._

_"Take off your clothes," Arizona demanded, halting her hand until Callie had complied. _

_It took the Callie less than five seconds to get rid of her pajamas, leaving her completely naked. "Take off your tank top." She was positive Arizona could see the arousal dripping down her thighs, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Once Arizona had stripped herself of her tank top, Callie took the blonde's hand once again. "Do it," she begged throatily, gasping loudly as those talented fingers were immediately covered in liquid arousal._

_Arizona closed her eyes, her hand running in slow circles over her hardened nub. "You've got me so wet, Callie," the blonde sighed out in satisfaction, continuing to move her fingers over her swollen folds._

_Callie's face paled, her heart rate picking up to a scarcely fast rate. Was...was Arizona Robbins talking dirty to her? Dear god, this was easily the best moment of her entire life. "What am I doing to you?"_

_"You're taking me on top of a table in the cafeteria." Slowly, Arizona pushed one finger inside her wet heat, a drawn out moan leaving her lips. Using the hand that wasn't buried inside herself, Arizona wrapped it tight in Callie's hair, her knuckles turning white._

_Callie growled, leaning down to ferociously suck on the soft flesh of the blonde's ear lobe. "Does people watching us turn you on?"_

_"You turn me on," Arizona shot back quickly, slipping a second finger up into her center. She was so close, and the mild dirty talk was only turning her on more._

_"Are you gonna come for me?" Taking Arizona's bottom lip between her teeth, Callie tugged on it hard, knowing Arizona liked things a little rough around the edges. "I want you to say my name," Callie whispered out, splaying her hand against a firm, flat stomach._

_With her hips arching off the bed, Arizona's mouth opened to release a loud moan "Callie!" she loudly called out, brushing her thumb over her protruding clit, her toes beginning to curl._

_"Louder," Callie demanded firmly, pinching a pink nipple between her two fingers, squeezing hard._

_"CALLIE!" Arizona basically screamed, throwing her head back as her orgasm hit her from head to toe, every nerve in her body exploding as she continued to thrust her fingers in and out. Quickly, though, it was over, and aftershocks were running rampant over her body._

_And that was the moment Callie Torres was sure she died for half a minute. Arizona was looking at her, no doubt waiting for her to say something. But what the hell was she supposed to say? She was so close to reaching her own orgasm she was scared to open her mouth. Arizona Robbins was the devil._

_But what a sexy, dirty little devil she was._

_Withdrawing her fingers, Arizona didn't get very far before Callie had directed them to her own center. "Was that everything you expected?" she cockily inquired, a mischievous grin on her face._

_Before Callie could reply, the first brush of Arizona's fingers on her clit, send her head first into a loud climax, her thighs clamping around the blonde's hand. She couldn't get the image of Arizona out of her head to actually be embarrassed about coming so quick. This had quickly turned into the best morning ever._

_Arizona raised an eyebrow, completely stunned at what had just happened. "Well, that was different."_

_If different meant sexiest thing ever, then yes, Callie had to agree. That was the most different thing she ever had the pleasure of witnessing._

Glancing away from those predatory eyes, Callie took a hesitant step backwards, grabbing Arizona's hand. "People...people are leaving," she stammered out, in desperate need of a subject change. Thankfully, Arizona took the hint, and went to go grab her coat.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" Addison asked, looking her best friend up and down.

"Just...don't," Callie groaned, her eyes zeroing in on Arizona's ass when she bent down to retrieve her bag.

* * *

Unfortunately, for Callie, it took April and Arizona over twenty minutes to say goodbye to each other. "This way," Callie coaxed, obtaining her grip on Arizona's waist as she led them into the elevator of their building.

Arizona stumbled into the wall, her hands automatically pulling Callie with her. Softly cupping Callie's cheeks, Arizona reverently ran the ghosts of her fingertips over the Latina's face. "You're really, really beautiful," she earnestly admitted, unable to look away from the beauty in front of her.

Even though the words were wildly slurred, they still made Callie's heart skip a beat. "And you're really, really drunk," she said playfully in return.

"Drunk words are sober thoughts," Arizona shrugged, a dopey grin on her face.

Callie had to laugh at that. "Where did you even hear that?"

"My mom used to say it." With everything about Callie completely overwhelming her, Arizona eased them into another hug, nuzzling the side of her face into Callie's neck. "Sometimes, I don't like hugging you...because I know that I'm eventually gonna have to let you go."

Without breaking the hug, Callie walked them backwards, out of the elevator, and towards Arizona's front door. "You're a very clingy drunk."

Falling back against the front door, Arizona sighed at the feel of Callie's delicious curves pressed against her. "I'll be fine from here. You can go get some sleep."

Slipping her hand into Arizona's black bag, Callie smoothly withdrew the keys for the front door, and then unlocked it. "I'm putting you to bed." Keeping a steadying hand on the intoxicated blonde's hip, Callie followed her into the bedroom. "You're not working tomorrow, are you?" Callie asked in complete dread.

"No," Arizona slurred, pulling her shirt over her head, then letting it drop to the floor. "Do you want me to make us some food?"

Callie dropped her head in laughter, walking the few steps over to where Arizona was standing in just her bra and jeans. There was something about a bra and jean combo that did something to Callie's insides...or maybe it was just Arizona doing it. "No food," Callie shot the offer down.

Forgetting what she had just asked, Arizona unsnapped her jeans and began to pull them down her legs. "You see me in my underwear quite a lot," she commented with a grin, stumbling out of her denims. "Have you noticed that?"

"Yeah, I've noticed," Callie agreed quietly, forcing herself to keep looking out of the window. Saving herself the trouble of looking at Arizona's glorious half naked body, Callie handed the blonde her pajamas. "Put these on and I'll tuck you in."

Arizona gave another drunken smile, a girly giggle falling from her lips as she sloppily threw her pajamas on. "You know, you're my favorite person in the whole world." Setting herself onto the bed, she carefully removed her prosthetic leg before collapsing onto her side, curling up under the comforter.

"The feeling's mutual," Callie replied with a smile, her hands working to tuck the comforter tight around the blonde. Knowing she wouldn't be at piece till Arizona was asleep, she perched herself on the side of the bed, those blue eyes following her every move. "So, fun night?"

"Do you think I need help?" Arizona squeaked out quietly, her voice filled with sadness and insecurity. It might have been the alcohol, or it might have been Callie in general — but the words exchanged during their earlier argument, were hitting her hard.

Noting the mass of insecurity in Arizona's voice, Callie scooted further up the bed, taking a fair hand between her own. "Listen to me," Callie softly began. "Your _leg_ needs help, Arizona. Nobody deserves to be in as much pain as you were in on Monday Night." She carefully brushed some of that soft blonde hair away from Arizona's forehead, then slowly moved that hand down to cup a fair cheek. "There's techniques that can help. And I'm not saying that they're going to make everything go away...but they'll help. I don't want you to suffer alone," Callie explained, a hint of desperation present in her voice. "Seeing you in pain, kills me, Arizona."

Mulling over the idea, Arizona surprised them both by giving a stiff nod. "Okay." Her eyes were wide with fear, afraid of the unknown.

Surprised brown eyes widened. "Really?" Callie hopefully asked, grinning when the blonde gave another nod. She really hoped Arizona would remember this conversation in the morning. "We can talk about it when you're not that drunk you can't even remember your own middle name."

"Iphegenia!" Arizona answered in a heartbeat, like she was taking part in a quiz.

Callie laughed huskily, her heart swelling in adoration for the woman below her. "That's mine, sweetie," she reminded gently, a smile still on her face.

"I know," Arizona sighed out sleepily, feeling herself begin to drift off. Just when Callie had thought she had fallen asleep, she opened her mouth again. "You know I hate that I lost my leg. I hate it for so many reasons." Callie's eyes were wide with shock, but Arizona quickly continued before the Latina could get a word in. "But I hate it because...if I didn't lose my leg — I know that you and I would be together right now," she sadly said, emotion running rampant over her tired face. "We'd be happy. And we'd be in love. And nothing would ever come between us."

Closing her eyes for no more than a split second, Callie tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest. "We can still be those things." Why did conversations like this with Arizona, always feel like they were setting her up for more heartbreak?

"Can we?" came the blonde's tentative response.

"Yes! Ariz —"

Reaching her hand up, Arizona placed a finger over Callie's lips, halting the words that were about to come out. "That's not what I meant," Arizona explained, the anticipation of what she was about to ask killing her. "I mean — _can_ we?" The look in Callie's eyes told Arizona that she was slowly catching on. "Can we give us a shot, Callie?"

Callie didn't know how long she had waited to hear those words — but she desperately wished Arizona wasn't beyond intoxicated when she was asking them. As much as she wanted to, she knew that this conversation couldn't be had when Arizona was in this state. "We can talk about this when you're sober, okay?" Callie promised, softly cupping the blonde's cheek.

"I'm not gonna sit back and let somebody else steal my girl away from me," Arizona firmly stated, looking more determined than ever.

The words _my girl_ just about made Callie fall into a pile of happiness on the floor. "Nobody's gonna steal me away from you."

Arizona grimaced, looking like she was in some form of pain. She hesitated before deciding to speak again. "Alex told me that this Neuro nurse was asking around if you were single. And I know I can't tell you not —"

"Shut up," Callie insisted, cutting the known words off. "You're the only girl I want."

"You're the last thing I think about before I go to sleep at night," Arizona whispered, her fingertips drawing lazy circles on the back of a tanned hand.

Callie looked away with a laugh; Arizona Robbins was the biggest smooth talker she had ever met. "Is that right?"

Sensing Callie thought she was joking, Arizona pointed towards her bedside drawer. "Open it."

Instructed by Arizona letting go of her hand, Callie pulled the drawer open, her face going blank when she saw what was inside. It was several pictures of them that were taken months ago. But what really made Callie's heart stop, was the lone white rose petal that sat on top of them. "From our first date," Callie said blankly, too shocked to say anything else. "Why?"

Arizona nodded slowly, feeling sheepish under Callie's intense stare. "I felt like I had to." Her lips darted out to place a soft, reverent kiss on the back of Callie's hand. "Promise me we'll talk?"

"I promise," Callie declared, softly closing the drawer.

"I'm sorry I kissed you," Arizona said, though she did not sound like the apology was at all meant.

Callie shook her head sternly, a teasing smile on her face. "You should be," she scoffed playfully. "Couldn't you tell that I absolutely did _not_ want that to happen."

Arizona giggled, but the sound was immediately cut short when she remembered a detail from earlier in the night. "Alex kissed me tonight," she blurted out in a panic.

"He _what_?!" Callie hissed, feeling red with jealously at the thought of someone else's lips being joined with Arizona's.

Jealous, angry Callie was kind of dirty hot, Arizona thought to herself. "I told him that I'd never kissed a guy, and then he kissed me." She shook her head distastefully, looking un-amused. "His lips are really rough, and they don't feel like yours."

Callie squared her jaw, teeth drawing between her lips in contemplation. "I don't like that I'm not the last person you kissed." Taking Arizona's soft smile as confirmation, Callie leaned down, connecting their lips in a long, soft kiss. She could taste the tequila, but the pure taste of Arizona was still present, overpowering everything else.

After the kiss ended, their foreheads instinctively locked together, both a little breathless. "Please don't forget we had this conversation," Callie begged, forcing her eyes closed. This was the most headway they had yet to make, and Callie was terrified that it was all going to waste away as soon as Arizona fell asleep. "_Please_."

It was entirely out of her control, but Arizona needed to force herself to not forget everything they had said tonight. "I won't," she earnestly promised, hugging Callie tight against her.

Time would soon tell, though.

* * *

**This chapter kinda feels a little all over the place to me; I think it's because I took a couple days break and interrupted the flow. The end of the next chapter is going to take us a route that I don't think anyone is really expecting. You're all probably going to think I'm high or something like that. Who doesn't love a mild spoiler? The main part of this story doesn't have that much left, but there will be several follow-up chapters that will jump through time and explore their lives together — basically the main parts of their lives will be shown. Loving reading all the reviews etc. You guys really are the best!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters, ya'll. **

* * *

Hearing the door to her lab creak open, Callie looked up from under the microscope, a grin forming on her face when she saw who was standing in the doorway. "Look who it is," she began with a laugh. "Alex Karev's new girlfriend — in the flesh and everything."

All the hope Arizona had of _Callie not mentioning what had happened two nights ago _flew out the window in a flash. "Please don't ever mention that ever again." With an embarrassed look on her face, Arizona ventured further into lab, sheepishly handing over one of the cups of coffee that was in the holder. "I vaguely remember you picking me up from Joe's and then taking me home," she recalled, a blush spreading over her face. "So, thank you."

Some details of the night, Arizona could remember as clear as day. But other memories were a tad..._hazy_. The image of Alex Karev kissing her, however, would not be disappearing any time soon. Mainly because the first thing he had said to her this morning, was _'remember that time we made-out?.'_

Hearing this piece of information, coupled with the severely confused look on Arizona's face, made Callie's heart plummet. All Callie had hoped for, was that Arizona remembered their conversation about giving them a shot. And now, it was clear that Arizona didn't remember a single thing about what they talked about.

"Right, yeah," Callie sighed out, unable to control the disappointment from filling her voice. "Addison texted me to say that you were completely hammered, so I came to get you. It's no big deal." She plastered a smile onto her face, hoping Arizona wouldn't notice how completely fake it was.

"I didn't, like...try to have sex with you, did I?" Arizona awkwardly asked, unsure if she could take anymore humiliation from two nights ago. It was bad enough that people were now, most likely, thinking that she, Alex, and Callie were a three-way couple — or something even more bizarre.

Chuckling through her sadness, Callie shook her head. "You did not." Although, it wouldn't really have mattered if Arizona did; the two of them were clearly going nowhere. "But, you did tell everybody in Joe's, that we used to take baths together. That was a fun one."

Dropping her head into her hands, Arizona wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. "Oh god." She made a vow, in that moment, to never consume alcohol with Alex Karev ever again. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry, Callie," she apologized over and over, refusing to meet those dark brown orbs.

"It's fine," Callie reassured, hesitantly sipping from the scorching hot coffee. "We've all said stupid stuff when we're drunk." She had felt truly gutted before, but this...having something so close and then having it snatched away — this was devastating for Callie. "So, you don't remember agreeing to letting me help with your leg?"

At the mention of her leg, Arizona let out a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. I do remember that." She had considered lying and saying that she didn't remember, but that wasn't fair to Callie.

For the first time today, Callie gave a genuine smile. "You're still on board?"

"I suppose," Arizona grumbled in agreement. "When do you wanna do it?" What was Callie even going to be doing with her? Arizona realized she hadn't even bothered to ask.

Quickly going over her schedule internally, Callie took a few seconds to reply. "I have a free afternoon tomorrow?"

Unfortunately, for Arizona, she also had a free afternoon tomorrow. "That works for me," she said with a smile, trying to sound like she wasn't completely dreading it. "What are you gonna be doing to me?"

"Wait and see," Callie informed cryptically. She knew how much Arizona hated any form of surprise, and she knew that the blonde was going to be going out of her mind for the next twenty-four hours. "You love surprises."

"I hate surprises! You know I do," Arizona hissed, slumping into the chair opposite Callie.

Callie grinned. "I know," she laughed out, thoroughly enjoying the frustrated look on the blonde's face. "Just suck it up and let me do what I want with you."

Arizona raised an eyebrow at the choice of words. "Fine. Whatever," the blonde conceded when all Callie did was stare at her. "What are you doing for your birthday next week?"

The fact that Arizona remembered the date warmed her heart. "Treating it like any other normal day," Callie briskly replied, smirking as Arizona rolled her eyes.

"It's your birthday, Callie. You have to do something." Even though Arizona hated her own birthday — she like celebrating other peoples.

"We can...go to Joe's," Callie decided, not sounding by all means fussed. Celebrating wasn't something she was really in the mood for right now.

Grimacing, Arizona figured that was as best she was going to get. "Fine."

"As long as you and Karev can keep your hands off each other," Callie teased, her lips fighting the urge to smirk.

"It doesn't count as a kiss, unless both parties are involved," Arizona tried to explain, but then completely gave up all together.

"Pretty sure your lips were involved," Callie shot back sharply, a hint of jealousy evident in her voice.

Arizona only laughed in return. "He's nowhere near as good a kisser as you, so don't worry," she offered up with a grin.

"Nobody's as good a kisser as me," Callie scoffed, then went back to what she was doing before Arizona came in.

With a smile on her face, Arizona shook her head and stood up. "I have a consult in a few minutes, so I need to head out. Are you planning on getting lunch?" she asked hopefully. Even though Callie had taken her home the other night, Arizona felt like they hadn't hung out in a while.

"Are you planning on _buying_ me lunch?" Callie inquired, not bothering to look up from her microscope.

"_Wait and see_," Arizona deadpanned before shooting the Latina a small smile and walking out of the lab.

Once she knew Arizona was gone from the lab, Callie heaved her chair backwards, a look of complete dejection on her face. She didn't know what she was feeling. She didn't know what else she was supposed to do.

It was the first time that Callie thought things weren't going to work out between them.

* * *

"Come on —"

"No," Callie shook her head.

"But if we —"

"No," Callie cut Mark off again, for what felt like the millionth time in the past hour.

Mark sighed in exasperation. "Robbins!" He grinned when he saw the blonde approaching the table. "Tell Callie that she should let me throw her a birthday party."

Noticing that Callie was openly glaring at her, Arizona shot the Latina a grin. "I think that's the best idea I've heard all day."

"Of course you do," Callie muttered quietly, harshly stabbing her lunch with the plastic fork in her hand. "Look, I don't want a birthday party."

"Nobody _wants_ a birthday party, Torres," Bailey chimed in loudly from the other side of the table. "People just lookin' for an excuse to have a party. And _you_ are that excuse."

If Bailey was trying to convince her, Callie wasn't really understanding her way of doing it. "That doesn't make me feel very special."

"Cause you ain't special," Bailey shot back, looking the brunette up and down. "My husband just bought me a brand new dress, and if I don't get an opportunity to wear it...I'll be blaming you. That's all I'm gonna say."

Callie nodded her head sarcastically at the general surgeon. "Can't we just go to Joe's?"

"No!" came the response of just about everyone that was sat at the table. Callie looked to Arizona for help, silently pleading with the blonde to take her side.

But Arizona wasn't having any of it. "Come on, it'll be fun," Arizona enthused, nodding as though to get Callie to agree with her.

"I dunno," Callie hesitated, somewhat on the edge. Getting dressed up and wearing a pretty dress sounded like fun. But having to pretend that she cared people had showed up for her birthday when they were only there for a party, really wasn't appealing.

"Come on," Arizona encouraged, her lips darting out to wrap around the straw of her soda. "I'll make sure that it's totally Callie-approved." She knew Callie was close to giving in — it was written all over her face. "We'll have black and silver balloons. And we'll make sure that it's sophisticated." Knowing Callie was seconds away from giving in, Arizona went in for the kill. "I'll get you a birthday cake from the bakery down on 10th," she added in.

"Sold!" Callie agreed, the grin of her face fading when she noticed people were looking at the both of them. "What?"

Bailey scoffed, looking between the two of them. "He's been tryna' convince you, for the best part of half an hour, and it takes her less than two minutes?"

"She's prettier than him," Callie shrugged, then glanced at her watch. "I have to go, I have surgery."

Blue eyes watched the brunette stalk out of the cafeteria, those magical hips swaying with every single step Callie took. When Arizona tore her gaze back, Bailey was staring at her intently. "What?"

Bailey nodded to the cafeteria exit and then back to the blonde. "You and...Torres?"

"Bailey, I know you didn't just ask me if I'm sleeping with Callie Torres?" Arizona questioned with a laugh, sideways glancing between Bailey and Mark. "Me and Callie are friends. That's all!" Her voice had a defensive edge, and she knew they both noticed it.

But Arizona was sick of people watching the two of them. Sick of nurses whispering every time they walked down the hall together. Sick of people smirking the way Bailey was smirking right now.

"Touched a nerve?" Bailey asked, a hint of knowing on her face.

* * *

"No!" Arizona insisted profusely, looking the object up and down. "You're not attaching wires to my head, Callie."

When Arizona tried to unclip the wires, Callie swatted her hands away. "Shut up. It's not gonna do you any harm."

"But, what if — what if you're trying to read my mind?" Arizona said quietly, shrinking back into the chair like a timid puppy.

Callie sighed, her hands working to connect the last of the wires to a blonde head. "I already know that you're picturing me naked, so that's saved you the embarrassment."

"I've saw it a thousand times; I don't need to imagine it," Arizona confidently stated. Her eyes bulged out of her head when she realized what Callie had just done. "What the hell are you doing?!" She tried to wrestle her hands free, but Callie had secured them tight. "You're tying me up? Are you kidding me, Callie?!" she hissed out, struggling against the ties.

"Stop being such a drama queen," Callie admonished with a wave of the hand as she made her way over to her laptop. "You and I both know that there's no way of you sitting through this without tearing that thing off your head at some point."

Arizona stared, unsure if she was going to laugh or scream. "So, you're tying me to a chair?!" She had just been tied up by Callie Torres, the woman she was crazy about — and it was in no way sexual. Why was this happening?

"Yeah," Callie mumbled distractedly, setting the final configurations on her laptop. When it was done, she dimmed the lights, and then made her way over to the agitated blonde.

Arizona closed her eyes when she saw what was on the screen. "Callie Torres, tell me that's not a 3D image of the beach staring me in the face?"

"Who's up for a fun day at the beach?" Callie asked with a laugh, though it came out more like an awkward grunt. Arizona was staring at her, mouth wide open. Callie sighed, looking away uncomfortably. "Right. So, I guess this isn't really what you were expecting —"

"Not what I was _expecting_?!" Arizona repeated in shock, her head shaking of its own accord. She didn't know if this was really happening. "What kind of weird crap are you into? First, you tie me up..."

Callie held up a hand to halt the words. "Okay. You've tied me up before, and I didn't give you this much crap."

"That's because I was on top of you..._naked_." Arizona shifted in her seat, the memory forming an uncomfortable ache in her center. She really hoped Callie wasn't using this thing to read her mind — because it was only focused on one thing.

"And I lay there and let you do whatever you wanted." Picking up the remote, Callie pressed it before Arizona could say anything else. "So, you're gonna shut up, and do the same for me."

Arizona closed her eyes, opening her mouth to inhale a calming breath. She didn't like being the one that wasn't in control. And right now, Callie was the one in control of everything going on. It was kind of oddly...arousing.

She didn't have a lot of time to think about those thoughts, though, because the 3D beach screen soon turned into waves. "Really?"

Callie gritted her teeth. "The wires on your head are going to send fake pain receptors to your brain, so you'll get an idea if this will help you when you're in real pain."

"This is the worst pain I've ever felt," Arizona grumbled, dropping her head dramatically, only to have Callie immediately reposition it again. "Callie, I'm really trying to have a good attitude —"

"This is you with a good attitude?" Callie interrupted with a glare. She perched herself on the side of the large chair Arizona was sat in. "Can you just try? For me...please?"

Even though she knew exactly what Callie was doing, Arizona didn't have it in her to refuse that face. "Fine."

Callie grinned, her hand instinctively reaching round to sit at the back of the chair. "Close your eyes," she instructed, nodding when the blonde did as she was told. "Now, in a few seconds, you're heart rate is gonna pick up a little. So, I need you to focus on the waves to get it under control. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Arizona sighed out, feeling a tad sleepy all of a sudden. This session had interrupted her planned nap, and having hardly any sleep last night — due to an emergency surgery — was quickly catching up with her.

"Your heart rate's picking up," Callie pointed out, keeping her eyes trained on Arizona's peaceful face. "Just listen to the waves. Imagine yourself on a beach...in Spain...holding a sangria." The words were forming on their own, Callie unsure of what she was actually saying. "The ocean's so, so blue. And the beach is the most beautiful beach you've ever seen. All you can hear is the crashing of the waves; no one is else around you." She noticed the heart rate was lowering dramatically. "It's actually working," Callie said dumbly, almost disbelievingly.

Arizona yawned, her eyes fighting to remain open. "It is?"

"Yeah." It could have been a one off, Callie knew that, so she quickly made her way over to reset the machine again, then returned back to the blonde's side. "We're gonna try it again." When Arizona nodded, Callie started the waves from the beginning.

The heart was picking up, and for about half a minute, it didn't lower down like it previously had. "It's not going down," Callie said worriedly. She attempted to stand up, but Arizona's hand on her own stopped her.

"You have to keep talking," Arizona instructed, her hand not letting go of the tanned one encased around her own. "It's your voice that calms me down; not the waves."

"It is?" Callie squeaked out, her voice laced with heavy emotion. Softly, she loosened the ties, her own hand still refusing to let go of Arizona's right. "What do you want me to say?"

Arizona gave a small shrug. "It doesn't matter. You just have to keep talking."

With a grin on her face, Callie continued. "There's this beach in Spain that I dream about going to all the time. . ."

They'd end up going to that same beach on their honeymoon.

* * *

Making her way down to her office, Callie couldn't control the frustration overwhelming her entire body. It was her birthday. And what an sucky, sucky birthday it was turning out to be. She'd been paged to the hospital at five am, for something she would soon realize to be a broken wrist.

Someone had paged the Head of Orthopedics...for a broken wrist.

And it wasn't even the decent broken wrist that needed surgery. No, this was a broken wrist that only needed an x-ray and a cast. It was pathetic, and all Callie wanted was to see Arizona. It was her birthday and she still hadn't seen the blonde all day.

Arizona had sent her a happy birthday text at midnight. And they'd then arranged to meet several times throughout the day, but every meeting had to be cancelled due to one of them being paged. She was in a sucky mood, and she still had to deal with her own birthday party later tonight.

In need of some rest, Callie entered her office, then drew the blinds closed behind her. When she turned around, her heart was on the floor. On her desk, sat the biggest bouquet of pink and white roses, gorgeously encased with silver wrapping around the bottom.

Timidly, her fingers reached out to reverently touch the soft petals. She didn't need to look at the card to know who sent them, but she looked anyway.

_Happy Birthday, pretty lady._

_I hope you have an awesome birthday - nobody deserves it more than you do!_

_xx_

She couldn't control the grin that took over her face. Arizona wasn't even here, and yet, she still had the ability to make her day. Behind the massive bouquet, Callie noticed something sitting on her chair. Walking around the side of her desk, her hands reached out to grasp the object, a teary smile on her face.

It was a medium sized, fluffy polar bear, and in its hands...it was holding a small, red love heart. Suddenly feeling heavy with emotion, Callie's brown eyes brimmed with happy tears as she continued to hold the teddy. She knew why Arizona had bought her this.

And even though Callie had known it for a long time, even though she ignored every single thought about — she finally thought about how much she loved Arizona Robbins. Callie loved her, loved her more than she ever thought possible to love another person. Arizona Robbins, the woman who had completely stolen her heart since their first meeting, was her first and only love.

And Callie was sure she would be the last.

_"Awww, look how cute." Picking up the object, Callie spun around to show the blonde, a wide smile on her face._

_Arizona tilted her head. "It's a polar bear," she pointed out dumbly, struggling to see why Callie cared so much. "Do you have some kind of weird...polar bear fetish?"_

_Callie shot the blonde a glare. "No." She knew Arizona would think the story was stupid, but she told it, anyway. "My dad used to always be away on business, the week before Christmas. I was pretty young at the time when he first went away, but when he came back...he bought me this glow in the dark polar bear. I was kind of afraid of the dark back then and I had a pretty rough time with it, but this polar bear lit up my room...and I just got over it. So, every time my dad went away on business, he'd always bring me back some polar bear themed gift."_

_Arizona smiled softly, entranced by the pure happiness in Callie's voice. "Does he still do it?" It was asked tentatively . Arizona knew Callie and her dad still spoke, but she didn't know if they still did Christmases and Birthdays._

_"No," Callie said sadly, putting the soft toy back onto the shelf. "It's just a stupid thing."_

_"It's not," Arizona encouraged, reaching out to take Callie's hand into her own. "Families have traditions; it's not stupid."_

_Callie gave a rueful laugh. "Well. I don't really have a family, so...whatever." Tightening her jaw, she looked away from those intense blue eyes. "Come on, we should go get some lunch."_

* * *

"What's with the look?" Alex asked, his voice effectively snapping the daydreaming blonde out of her thoughts.

Arizona sighed — though the reason for it was completely unbeknownst. "Do you ever get the feeling that you've..._forgotten_ to do something?"

Alex gave her a look. "Did you, like...kill a patient and forget about it?"

Blue eyes rolled in annoyance. "No." Ever since a few days ago, Arizona had been feeling like something wasn't quite...right. "I have this really weird feeling that I haven't done something that I was supposed to do. You know what I mean?"

"I really don't know what you mean," Alex said, giving a negative shake of the head.

"Sometimes, when I leave for work in the morning, I get this feeling that I've left the hair curlers on," Arizona went on to explain. Her face was morphed into a look of sheer unknown, and she still couldn't get over the feeling in her gut. "It's sort of like that."

If Alex was honest, he really didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Right. Okay." Not really knowing how to deal with _this _topic of conversation, he changed the subject. "You going to your girlfriend's birthday party tonight?"

By now, Arizona had gave up the fight of saying that Callie wasn't her girlfriend. "Yeah. You?"

"Yeah," Alex affirmed, suddenly looking a little sheepish. "Addison and I broke of the whole sex thing."

That was not what Arizona was expecting to hear. She had been expecting their sex relationship to turn into an actual relationship any day now. "You did? Why?"

"Wasn't really going anywhere," Alex gave a bored shrug, though his voice did possess a hint of disappointment. "We were just wasting each others times. She deserves somebody who wants to settle down with her, and that's not me."

"Alex Karev, have you matured?" In some weird messed up way, Arizona was sort of proud of him. Normally, he slept around with anyone and didn't care. But now, he had actually taken the mature approach and dealt with it like an adult. "I'm shocked," she gaped at him.

Alex rolled his eyes, obviously feeling a little uncomfortable at having such a _girly_ conversation. "Whatever," he brushed it off in particular Alex fashion. "I'm done with women. You all suck!"

Laughing, Arizona gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I'll give it three days before you've bedded an intern."

"I'll give it three days until you're banging Torres," Alex challenged in return.

Arizona looked away, a scowl etched onto her face. "Whatever."

Alex smirked, knowing he had won. "What's the new on you two?"

Opening her mouth to speak, Arizona abruptly closed it again, when a flash off five nights ago hit her in full force.

_"We'd be happy. And we'd be in love. And nothing would ever come between us."_

_"Can we give us a shot, Callie?"_

_"I don't like that I'm not the last person you kissed."_

Blue eyes forced themselves closed as every memory came rushing back to Arizona, almost hitting her like a bullet through her chest. She remembered now. Remembered how she had asked Callie to give them a chance. Remembered how Callie had kissed her when Arizona told her than Alex had been the last to do so. Remembered telling Callie that she kept a rose petal from the bouquet of flowers on their first date.

Arizona remembered _everything_.

"Dude, you looked freaked out," Alex noted, looking her up and down.

"Yeah," Arizona managed to breathlessly gasp out. She quickly realized that it was the forgotten conversation with Calliope that had been bothering her. Why hadn't Callie said anything? She didn't have time to think about that, though, because the sound of her pager broke through the air. "It's a 911. I have to go."

"Remember you can't miss this party," Alex yelled after the retreating blonde. "Callie will kill you."

Quickly checking her watch, Arizona noted that it was three o'clock. The party was due to start at seven. "I won't," she called back, picking up the pace a little. "Just tell Callie that I might be late, but I _promise_ I'll be there."

She really hoped she wasn't going to break that promise.

* * *

Callie shuffled through the large crowd, awkwardly greeting people she did not even know. "Cristina," she hissed, pulling her roommate away from Owen Hunt. "Why are there so many people here?"

The party had started off just the way Callie wanted it to be; nice and quiet. But after around an hour, Mark's apartment had almost filled its capacity. Since then, because her own apartment was directly across the hall, Cristina had took it upon herself to include their own apartment in the party. The two doors had remained open, meaning everyone could come and go as they pleased. And even though Callie was slightly tipsy — she still wasn't amused.

Though, she figured the main reason for that, was due to it being after nine and a certain blonde hadn't yet made an appearance.

"It's great, right?" Cristina grinned enthusiastically, looking absolutely blitzed. "Aren't you so glad you decided to have a party?"

Needing everything she could to get through this, Callie gulped down the remainder of her red wine. "I thought we all agreed that it was going to be a nice, civilised party!"

"Ooooh," Cristina grimaced distastefully, slowly shaking her head. "We all went behind your back and planned this, instead."

It was so beyond obvious, Callie didn't know why she didn't think of it happening. "I hate all of you," she groaned in defeat.

"It was mainly me," Cristina stated proudly, looking more than impressed with herself. "Put it this way: RollerGirl is gonna see you in that dress, and she is going to be falling over you. You'll be thanking me for this later."

"I don't think I will be," Callie said with a sigh, craning her neck to glance around the busy room, eventually coming up with nothing. "Arizona's not here."

Cristina pointed behind the brunette, her finger indicating to the door. "You're in luck."

Following Cristina's line of vision, Callie was ecstatic to see Arizona making her way towards them. But when she saw what the blonde was wearing — that feeling evaporated into thin air. "What the hell, Arizona?!" The blonde was clad in her scrubs, looking slightly out of breath — which clearly indicated that Arizona was not planning to stay.

"Sorry. Sorry," Arizona apologized, finally breaking through the hoard of people to reach the two brunettes. "I got called into surgery, and I got out just now."

"Why didn't you go home and get ready, instead of wasting time and coming to tell me that?" If possible, this night was only going to get worse. Callie liked hanging out with Cristina — she really actually did — but she didn't have it in her to spend an entire night with Cristina and Meredith Grey, whilst dancing on tables, drinking tequila; Callie _needed_ Arizona to be here. "If you're gonna tell me that you're not coming, then you can just walk away right now," Callie awkwardly informed, crossing her arms over in an attempt to seem pissed off and annoyed.

Biting back a smirk, Arizona finally allowed her gaze to drift down the length of Callie's body. Callie looked beyond gorgeous, Arizona could hardly take her eyes off her. The brunette was wearing a tight, wrap around dress that hung off one shoulder, and was cut off just above the knees. And the legs...Arizona found herself salivating just by glancing at them.

Calliope Torres was simply the most beautiful human being Arizona had ever set eyes on.

"I am coming. I'm gonna go straight home to shower and get ready," Arizona reassured, then gave a half glance around the room. "I wanted to talk to you before it got too crowded...but I guess that plan's went out the window." This wasn't what she and Mark had planned — not by a long shot.

"Yeah," Callie agreed, flinching a little as the music was turned up louder. Before her ear drums could be burst, however, Arizona had grabbed her by the hand and led her into Mark's spare bedroom. "Thank god," she sighed in relievement when the music and loud conversations could no longer be heard.

Arizona remained near the door, whilst Callie ventured further into the bedroom. "So...Happy Birthday," Arizona offered up, a wide smile of her face.

Callie returned the infectious smile. "Thanks."

"I um," Arizona hesitated, licking her lips nervously. "I got you something."

Now looking as nervous as the blonde was feeling, Callie nodded softly. "I know." Though it was all she could focus on, Callie didn't know why she felt sick with nerves — there wasn't really anything to be nervous about, yet the feeling was just..._there_. "Thank you, Arizona," she said gratefully, the appreciation clear in her voice. "I loved them. Thank you."

Arizona smiled, forcing her head to nod. "I got you something else." With shaky hands, she withdrew the small gift bag from her own shoulder bag, hesitantly handing it over to a shocked looking Callie.

The blue bag was small and fancy, and had the words _Tiffany & Co._ stamped onto the front. Callie's heart was in her mouth. She opened her mouth to speak, but did not know what to say. Instead, she took Arizona's reassuring smile as confirmation and began to unwrap the gift. Her breath hitched when she opened the box, brown eyes looking at the blonde in complete astonishment.

It was a beautiful white-gold necklace, a simple love heart the only thing resting on the chain. For the thousandth time — Arizona Robbins had rendered Callie speechless. Carefully, Callie removed the necklace from the box, her thumb reverently running over the small love heart.

"I just — I saw it. And I thought that it would look good on you. But then again, _everything_ looks good on you," Arizona rambled on, swallowing heavily as Callie's prolonged silence continued.

"I love it," Callie interrupted, unable to tear the grin off her face. "Can you..." she began, holding up the chain in a clear indication.

Nodding, Arizona reached out to fasten the chain, her hands easily clipping it into place. Once it was on, she found herself unable to drop her hands away from Callie's smooth shoulder blades. Eventually, though, Callie turned around, bringing them face to face.

"I really, really love it." And Callie really, really loved the woman who had given it to her. "Thank you. I haven't even saw you all day and you've still managed to actually make my day," she said with a shaky laugh.

Arizona gave a soft, shy smile, her hand reaching up to touch the bottom of Callie's dark, raven curls. "You look gorgeous," she whispered earnestly, not removing her hand from where it was now placed on a tanned collarbone.

Not able to find any words, Callie moulded them both into an easy hug, her arms wrapping tight around a scrub-clad waist. "Can I kick everybody out, and then you and I can just hang out?"

Laughing into the crook of Callie's neck, Arizona's lips barely grazed the skin. But it was still enough to give Callie goosebumps. "I really wish that you could," Arizona agreed, then eased them out of the hug. "I'm gonna go shower real quick, and then I'll be back." She made her way to the door before the smell of Callie's perfume killed her.

"Please hurry," Callie whined, a small pout on her face. "There's only so many times I can tell Cristina that I don't want to dance on a table."

"Oh, I fully expect you to be dancing on tables with me later tonight," Arizona teased, already half out the door. Something stopped her from leaving, however. And that same something made her close the door again. "I meant what I said...the night you came got me at Joe's." It was out before Arizona could change her mind — not that she would have.

Callie's mouth fell open, her heart rate doubling in a split second. "What?"

"About you and me having a talk...about _us_," Arizona softly reminded, leaning back fully on the door. She wanted Callie so bad, so much so that it was almost painful every time she had to walk away from the brunette. "I didn't say it because I was drunk — I said it because I meant it, Calliope." Their eyes locked, the look so familiar between them by this point. "I said it because I want us to be together," the blonde finished quietly, shocking them both by the force of the words.

Stunned — and elated more than anything — Callie gave a shaky smile, almost like she was struggling to hold it together. "We can talk about it?"

"We can," Arizona nodded, opening the door once more, just a fraction. "But it's your birthday, so we can just have a nice night, and then talk about it when we get a chance."

It felt like Callie had been waiting years for this moment — but it was finally, _finally_ here. "Okay," Callie grinned, finally feeling like a dead weight was off her chest. The pony her dad had rented for her on her eight birthday could suck it — this was, by far, the best ever birthday present.

Arizona's dimples were bursting out of her face. And she was feeling better than she had in a long, long time. "And I'm uh," she began, just as she was about to leave. "I'm really glad Alex wasn't the last person I kissed."

And upon seeing one last flash of that gorgeous smile, Callie was left alone in the bedroom, smiling like an idiot. Tonight probably wouldn't be all that bad, she quickly decided, lightly touching the small heart resting on her chest.

* * *

"Hey," Lexie greeted the blonde loudly, hoping she could be heard over the outside noise. "I thought you weren't gonna make it."

Arizona found a spot to stand in the small circle. "I got dragged into surgery, then I had to go change," she puffed out, nodding in thanks when Mark handed her a glass of white wine. She glanced around the mobbed apartment, not spotting that distinctive raven head anywhere. "It's really, really busy."

"Yang invited the entire hospital," Mark informed, though he didn't really look bothered by it.

"It's like a damn high school party," Bailey moaned with a roll of her eyes.

Spotting Cristina on top of one of the couches, Arizona looked a tad shocked. "Callie's gonna be pissed."

"Callie's leading this party," Lexie laughed, indicating to the brunette that was now doing shots with Meredith Grey across the room.

Arizona followed the gaze, her eyes landing on the gorgeous woman 20ft away. When Callie looked over, Arizona raised her hand and gave a small wave. She watched as Callie pointed over to them and excused herself from Meredith.

From where she was standing, Callie could only see Arizona's face. But as she got closer, the dress Arizona was wearing came into view, making Callie's heart stop. Arizona was wearing the red dress, the dress Callie _adored_ her in. And that blonde hair was curled softly, just the way Callie loved it. The realization of how much love she had for Arizona almost floored Callie. She was somewhat glad it took her a few minutes to get through the crowd, meaning she had time to get her brain to function properly and maybe think of a coherent sentence.

"Hey, you made it," Callie grinned, her eyes automatically falling to land on Arizona's cleavage. Seeing Arizona in that dress drove Callie crazy — and it had been like that since the first time Callie had set eyes on it.

_"This is nice." Callie held up the long black dress with a slit in the thigh._

_Arizona tilted her head, then shook her head. "I don't like it."_

_"Of course you don't," Callie grumbled, placing the dress back in its place. "Remind me never to come shopping with you again."_

_Laughing, Arizona grabbed Callie's hand, entwining their fingers before leading them to the next store. "We're not shopping for me. We're shopping for you." Upon entering the store, the first dress on show caught Arizona's eye. "That's really pretty." She pointed to the red dress._

_Callie picked up the item in question, then held it up in front of the blonde's body. "This would look unbelievable on you," she husked out, her mind and body doing overtime imagining Arizona wearing the piece of clothing. "I think you should get it."_

_It was something that Arizona wouldn't have thought twice about before she lost her leg — but things weren't that easy now. "I think you're crazy." Whilst Arizona was extremely comfortable with Callie seeing her leg and touching it, she was not comfortable with anyone else seeing her prosthetic leg. "It stops at the knees. I can't wear that," Arizona pointed out, sounding thoroughly disappointed._

_Looking like someone had just bought her and puppy and then snatched it away, Callie held up the dress again. "But this dress was made for you," Callie stated, like it was completely true. "You have no idea how good you'd look in this."_

_Arizona raised an eyebrow at Callie's reaction. "We're staying in tonight, right?"_

_Confused by the sudden change of subject, Callie nodded, anyway. "I'm making you dinner. Why, do you wanna do something else?"_

_Shaking her head, Arizona picked up a dress in her size. "How about I wear it for you tonight, then I can return it tomorrow and pretend it didn't fit."_

_Callie's eyes lit up, a wide smile on her face. "Doesn't that make me kind of creepy?"_

_"Oh, completely," Arizona agreed with a laugh, dragging Callie over to pay for the item. "Just...don't get your hopes up. I haven't worn a dress in months."_

_Later that night, Callie huffed in frustration whilst standing outside Arizona's bedroom door. "I'm sorry — can you just tell me how it's possible to be late for a date in your own apartment?" Callie vented, checking her watch again. "I've made dinner and got dressed, and I'm still ready before you."_

_"Give me a second," Arizona called back loudly, blowing out a heavy breath as she continued to look at herself in the mirror. She faintly registered Callie continuing to rant outside the door. Knowing it would only continue, she dragged herself away from the mirror and opened the door._

_"...I mean imagine this was a restaurant and I was the..." Callie cut the rant off, mouth falling agape when she saw how perfect Arizona looked standing in front of her. "Wow." Her mouth was dry, the beat of her heart erratic in her chest._

_Arizona smiled shyly, flattening out the sides of the red material with her hands. "I'm sorry. It just took me a while to...you know?"_

_Suddenly feeling like an inconsiderate bitch, Callie lowered her head shamefully. "I'm so sorry. I was busy making dinner and I completely forgot about you wearing the dress. I didn't mean to —"_

_Arizona cut the awkward ramble off with a small laugh. "Shut up, Callie," she demanded playfully, yet firmly. The way Callie was looking at her, was doing wonders for Arizona's confidence. "Does it look okay?" she asked timidly._

_Callie gave the blonde a disbelieving look. "It looks amazing," she gushed, lightly touching the sides of Arizona's hips. "You are so, so beautiful." Dipping her head down, Callie connected their lips in an affirming kiss, her hands wrapping snuggly around Arizona's waist. "Don't ever take this dress off; just buy seven of them and wear them every day of the week."_

_"I'll go buy the other six tomorrow," Arizona played along, lightly stroking her thumbs over the back of Callie's neck._

_Touching their foreheads together gently, Callie released a soft breath, the air between them shared. "I can't stop looking at you," she whispered quietly, their lips grazing as she spoke._

_Arizona ignored the hammering in her chest. "I can't stop looking at you, either."_

Even though there was a smile on her face, Arizona was conscious of the rest of the group watching them, listening to them. "I made it," she confirmed, side glancing at Bailey, who looked more than amused.

"Oh my god," Lexie squealed, breaking the lingering sexual tension. She leaned over to touch the small chain around the brunette's neck. "You weren't wearing this earlier — did someone give it to you as a gift? It's so pretty."

Feeling tense under everyone's questioning looks, Callie turned to Arizona for help, but the blonde was simply avoiding her gaze, looking a tad sheepish. "I um — I bought it for myself."

Alex screwed his eyes up at her. "You bought yourself a birthday present? Isn't that something Kepner would do?"

"Yeah, well," Callie said through gritted teeth, knowing everyone was thinking what a complete weirdo she was.

"I bought her the necklace," Arizona admitted, causing everyone to change their questioning gaze to look at her. "Callie didn't buy it. I bought her it." She looked away with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's her birthday; you're supposed to buy people gifts on their birthday."

Bailey looked chuffed, a giddy smile on her face. "My birthday's next month," she informed casually, her tone teasing and mischievous. "You gonna buy me a love heart necklace?"

Instead of replying, Arizona sidestepped to the breakfast bar, pouring herself a healthy measure of wine. "I need another drink."

A little while later, Bailey entered the bathroom, a surprised gasp falling from her lips when she saw someone was already occupying it.

"Bailey," Callie grinned, pulling the smaller woman into a firm hug, only to immediately be pushed away.

Straightening herself out, Bailey scowled at the overly affectionate brunette. "You drinking in a bathroom...at your own birthday party?"

"Um...yes," Callie hesitantly decided, tipsily perching herself on the edge of the marble bath tub.

Bailey just stared when there was no elaboration. "Okay. _Why_ you drinking in a bathroom at your own birthday party?"

"I'm in love with Arizona," Callie sighed out, smiling dopily. "And I'm scared to go near her, in case I end up telling her." The combination of alcohol, mixed with the gifts Arizona had given her, topped off with the red dress — was far too much for Callie to handle. She was in an Arizona state of mind.

"Why would that be a bad thing?" Bailey inquired, leaning against the bathroom wall. "She bought you a _Tiffany_ necklace for your birthday, so I'm pretty sure the feelings are mutual."

Coming up with an empty response, Callie only shrugged. Bailey noticed the change in the brunette's demeanour instantly. "You know, a few months ago," Bailey began, breaking Callie out of her staring contest with the floor. "I overheard some of the nurses talking about how _Robbins was back_. And I remember seeing her, in the hallways, later that day. She had that stupid, huge grin plastered onto her face," Bailey recalled with a laugh. "And after that...she was back." She softly touched a hand to the Latina's knee. "Whatever you two had — or are having — brought her back."

"Yeah?" Callie breathed out quietly.

Bailey nodded softly in affirmation. "People were worried about her—_I_ was worried about her," Bailey admitted, a flicker of sadness present in her voice. "It might take a while...but you two are gonna work out."

Callie looked at Bailey like the woman was telling her the real outcome of her life. "How do you know?"

"Because I'm Miranda Bailey," the smaller woman scoffed confidently. "I know what's gonna happen before it actually happens. And right now, I know you're gonna get the hell out this bathroom and go back to enjoying your birthday party."

Smiling, Callie gave Bailey's arm a thankful squeeze and headed towards the door. "Thanks."

"Thank me in your speech at the weeding," Bailey brushed her away with a wave of the hand. "Or name your first child after me; I'm not that fussed about which one you choose."

Callie only laughed in response.

And that conversation — along with many others — would be how _Sofia Miranda Robbins-Torres_ got her full name.

* * *

"I don't wanna play," April whined, but accepted the shot glass from Cristina, anyway.

"Once you're in the circle, you can't leave the circle — you're playing!" Cristina shot back harshly, then reached out to grab the arm that just entered the kitchen. "We're playing _I Never. _Get in!"

Callie tried to turn down the offer, but Cristina had started the game before she had the chance. She locked eyes with the baby blues across from her, noting the slightly glazed look in them.

"Okay," Cristina breathed out. "We'll play one round, since half of you losers are already too far gone. Everybody in the circle gets one turn. We'll start with me and then go clockwise. Any questions?" When there were none, Cristina nodded and began. "I've never given somebody at this party a lap dance."

Cristina, Meredith, and a blushing Lexie took a shot. Arizona sent Callie a raised eyebrow, nodding to the shot in the Latina's hand. Sighing, Callie quickly downed the shot. "Shut up," Callie demanded when Cristina opened her mouth speak.

Alex was next. "I've never partaken in self pleasure, whilst thinking about somebody else at this party." Being the only guy in the circle had its benefits.

"Oh god," Lexie groaned in embarrassment, a heavy blush covering her innocent face.

Cristina, Meredith, Alex, Lexie, Callie, and Arizona all downed a shot, the last two tactically avoiding the others gaze. Before Meredith could take her turn, however, April groaned and took a drink.

Alex grinned, a laugh tumbling from his lips. "Priceless," he commented.

"I've never had the best sex of my life with somebody else in this..._circle_," Meredith offered up, the shot in her own had not being consumed.

Callie and Arizona exchanged a look, both of them forcing back a smile before their shots were consumed.

"Excellent question, Mer," Cristina encouraged, giving her best friend a worthy pat on the back.

"I've never engaged in phone sex with somebody else at this party," Arizona took her turn, knowing that she and Callie were safe from this one. It was just about the only thing they hadn't done.

Cristina, Meredith, and Lexie all took a drink.

"You're really stepping it up, Lex," Alex stated, looking at the youngest circle member proudly.

Lexie managed to shoot him a small grimace in return. "I've never had sex in a public place with somebody else at this party," the younger Grey slurred out, only to then pout and down her own shot. All other members of the circle took a drink.

"I've never made a sex tape with somebody else at this party," Callie smirked, only to have Arizona immediately glare at her.

"Callie!" Arizona hissed in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock. Whilst they hadn't exactly made a real sex tape, there had been a night where they had overdone it on the wine, and messed around with the _video_ app on Arizona's iPhone.

"Oh my god." Callie's face paled, her head dropping in complete embarrassment. She had momentarily forgotten about what they had done with Arizona's phone one night. "I'm sorry. We used your phone; not mine. And I..."

Arizona held up a stern hand. "Just stop talking!" She wasn't one to talk about her personal life, but that had all gone to shit tonight. Tipping the small glass back, she let the beverage run down the back of her throat, effectively killing all of her self respect.

Cristina, Meredith, Lexie, and Callie quickly followed.

"Lexie and Robbins," Cristina laughed out, looking between the two of them. "Always the quiet ones."

Luckily, Mark brought out the birthday cake, effectively ending the game. Hours passed, and soon, there were only a handful of people left in Mark's apartment. Cristina had taken it upon herself to remove everyone from her own apartment.

"I can't believe you did that," Arizona threw her head back in laughter, her fingertips softly grazing Callie's thigh.

Callie's own laughter quickly joined in. "I'm sor-sorry," she stammered out through a fit of giggles. "We used your phone; I don't have the footage!"

It wouldn't be funny in the morning, but the alcohol consumption was making it funny, now. "We're never gonna live this down," Arizona grinned, biting her lip to stifle another laugh.

"Do you still...have it?" Callie hesitantly inquired, her brown eyes darkened due to all the booze and being so close to the blonde.

"No," Arizona replied quickly, though the mild blush on her face betrayed the answer. Callie noticed it and grinned. "Maybe..." she changed her mind suggestively.

Grinning cheekily, the look on Callie's face soon turned soft. "You wore the red dress. I love you in that dress." And she loved her in any other dress, loved her all the time.

Nodding, Arizona didn't get the chance to say anything, because Cristina sat herself down on the couch and interrupted them.

"Kelly," Cristina sighed the name out.

"_Callie_," the woman in question corrected, rolling her eyes at her inebriated roommate.

Cristina only nodded. "Right." She took a lengthy swig from the bottle in her hands, then handed it off to the blonde. "I just wanted to warn you that Owen and I will be having a lot of sex tonight."

"Can't you go do that at his apartment?" Callie groaned, accepting the bottle of...whatever it was when Arizona handed it.

"Our apartment is much closer," Cristina informed, patting her roommate on the shoulder. "Maybe you should stay somewhere else tonight. I'm sure your sex tape partner can help you out." She began to laugh uncontrollably to herself.

Shakily, using Callie as support, Arizona stood up off the couch. "Kelly can stay with me," Arizona said without a second thought, extending her hand to pull the swaying brunette up off the couch.

Too drunk to disagree, Callie took Arizona's hand and followed her lead. They were both drunk — extremely, extremely drunk. And there was an air of possibility clouding around them. After saying goodbye to Mark and Lexie, they stumbled toward the elevator, giggling and holding hands the entire way.

"We need more wine," Arizona declared, harshly slipping off her high heels before making her way to the kitchen. "Good birthday?"

Callie nodded, a look of sheer want now present on her face. "Great birthday."

Sensing the change in atmosphere, Arizona sat the wine glass down, then stalked slowly towards the brunette. "Get everything you wanted?"

Brown eyes trailed over the blonde's body for a few seconds before Callie gave a small shake of the head. "I want something else...from you."

Arizona gave a drunk smile. "What's that?"

Callie licked her lips. "I want a birthday kiss," she requested simply, gently playing with a fair hand.

To Arizona, in the state she was in, it seemed like the best idea she had ever heard. It was only a kiss. Running her tongue over her lips, Arizona cupped Callie's cheeks, their lips pressing together in a somewhat sloppy kiss. They kept it clean, though, just a light kiss with no tongue.

But then their eyes opened, the mutual look between them too much to handle.

The next thing they registered, Arizona was backing Callie out of the kitchen, two sets of hands working to get the others clothes off. "Is this a good idea?" Callie groaned out, latching her lips onto the soft skin of Arizona's neck. Why she was asking, she did not know — her dress was already in a pool on the floor.

Arizona stepped out of her own dress, walking them both backwards into her bedroom. "Your birthday, your rules."

That was enough for Callie. With uncoordinated hands, she managed to unclasp Arizona's deep red bra, her tongue immediately latching onto a firm nipple. Naked, they fell onto the bed, Callie quickly, yet gently, removing Arizona's prosthesis.

Settling on top of the glorious naked body below her, Arizona lowered herself down, their wet heat connecting intimately. "God, I've missed this," she admitted breathlessly, her hips working in rhythm with the curvy ones below her.

Wrapping her legs around slim thighs, Callie forced a nod in agreement. "Me, too." She had almost forgot how good it felt to have Arizona's sweaty body pressed against her own. Continually meeting Arizona's thrusts, she allowed the blonde to entwine their fingers above her head.

"God, Callie!" Arizona moaned out, dropping her head into a tanned neck, her teeth nipping at the smooth skin. The feel of their combined wetness, was making it impossible to stop the loud moans from making their way out. "Faster."

Complying, Callie's hips increased their speed. She could feel Arizona's teeth biting into her neck as the moans continued to fill the bedroom. Arizona was brushing her clit with every downward thrust, making it almost impossible to hold on any longer.

Arizona's eyes clenched shut, the familiar feeling in her stomach letting her know that she was about to let go. "Come with me," she husked, squeezing Callie's hands tight as her orgasm slammed through her body. "Callie!" Arizona yelled out, her entire body going rigid with immense pleasure.

Arching her back, Callie cried out as she, too, reached her peak. "Keep going," she shrieked, milking last bit of pleasure she could manage. Their movements continued, until lack of oxygen made it impossible to move.

Slumping onto the sweaty, panting body below her, Arizona struggled to catch her breath. Her breathing was erratic and heavy on Callie's neck, their hands still loosely entwined above their heads.

Callie forced a heavy breath into her lungs. "Great birthday kiss."

"Best birthday kiss ever," Arizona said in agreement, forcing their hands apart so she could lean on her elbows to look down at Callie. Those big brown orbs were black, blinking heavily at her, Callie's tanned skin was flushed and damp with sweat. The sight caused her to kiss Callie, _hard_, their tongues rolling together.

Groaning when Arizona pulled away, Callie felt herself swallow as a blonde head of hair made its way down her body. Her left leg was quickly flung over Arizona's shoulder, that talented tongue quickly wrapping round her bundle of nerves.

It was definitely the best birthday kiss ever.

* * *

The sound of her phone going off awoke Arizona from a peaceful slumber. Swallowing heavily, trying to get rid of the severely dry throat she was possessing, she tried to sit up — but the body that was half on top of her own and the ache in her head, made it impossible.

"Ow. Ow. Ow," Arizona croaked out, sounding like she had been refrained from water for several months. She glanced down at the body on top of her, raven hair laying messily all over her own naked chest. Sex. She'd had crazy, wild, drunken sex with Callie last night. "Oh, god."

She could dimly hear her phone going off — the sound of a repeated text that was sent — but she couldn't find it in her to move. Her pager was next to her bed and that hadn't gone off, so it clearly wasn't anything serious.

They were still naked, Arizona quickly realized, the feel of Callie's soft skin making it impossible to think about anything else other than what they had done last night. Sex was clearly their way of talking. What they had yet to say with words, they had said with their bodies, instead.

"No," Callie loudly said, trying to block out the sound of a blaring pager. Feeling the body under hers shake with laughter, she blinked an eye open, finding tired blue ones staring back at her. And the memories of last night came rushing back. "We had sex."

Arizona tried her best to smile, despite it hurting her head. "Good morning to you, too," she greeted quietly, unsure of what to do with her hand that was resting on Callie's naked back. Her pager gave her an answer, though, and she reached over to her bedside table. "It's a 911 from the Chief."

If both their pagers were going off at the same time, Callie realized her page was, most likely, the same thing. But her pager was in her bag — and she had no idea where said bag was. She had to bite back a groan as Arizona sat up in bed, several red scratch marks coming into view, marking the fair skin.

Arizona found her phone laying on the floor, next to the bed. The text, along with the page, was also from the Chief.

_All recipients of this text must attend a meeting with Chief Webber at exactly 10am._

_Important._

For as long as Arizona had worked at SGMW, she didn't ever recall getting a text from the Chief. "I have to go." When Callie was about to speak, Arizona held a hand up, letting the sound of Callie's phone break the silence. "It's an emergency text from the Chief. We have a meeting at ten."

Callie covered her eyes with her hand. "What time is it?" Surely it couldn't have been before eight — it felt like they had only been asleep for two hours.

"It's 9:47," Arizona replied, bending down to secure her leg. "I need to shower, and I don't have time."

Forcing herself to sit at the side of the bed, Callie looked around for her clothes. "I have no clothes," she said dumbly, pulling the sheet around her naked body. Wrapping it around her, she stood up from the bed and headed for the door. "I have to go get ready."

Arizona grimaced at the state of Callie's blatant sex hair. She guessed hers looked just as bad. "Are you gonna shower?"

"I don't have time," Callie sighed, throwing the bedroom door open. "What do we..." she cut herself off, indicating between the two of them.

"We can just add this to our list of things to talk about," Arizona gave an amusing shake of the head, not sure what else to say. What was wrong with them?

Callie nodded, a small laugh leaving her lips. "Right. I'll just...see you at the meeting."

"In ten minutes," Arizona smiled, relieved that their was no awkwardness between them.

* * *

Webber smiled tightly at the sets of eyes staring at him. "We're just waiting on four more people," he said lightly, squaring his jaw as he looked towards the door.

"Can't you tell us what this is about?" Owen politely requested, looking a little worse for wear.

In fact, they all did.

The door bust open before Webber could reply, a sheepish, bed-haired Arizona rushing into the room. "Sorry, Chief." She avoided his gaze, knowing she'd start crying if she looked at his face.

Webber sighed, his eyes boring through the blonde who had just sat down. "I can't —"

But someone else opening the door cut him off again. "Sorry, Chief," Callie grimaced, blushing as several occupants of the room began to laugh out loud. She noticed Arizona's hair was still a mess, and she knew her own was, too — it didn't take a genius to work out what had happened.

Webber looked at the roof, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips. "_As I was saying_," he started, looking between his Pediatric and Orthopedic surgeons.

But, once again, the door was flung open.

And in walked a blushing April Kepner, followed by a pissed of looking Alex Karev. Again, it didn't take a genius to work out what had happened between them.

"Oh my god," Cristina laughed, dropping her head onto the desk.

"For the love of god, people," Webber groaned in defeat, locking the door to the Conference Room. "Anybody else want to interrupt me?!"

Arizona looked at April, shooting her friend a questioning look. April only shook her head, the blonde's thoughts being confirmed. April and Alex had sex, Arizona realized. She was going to _kill_ him.

Satisfied that he was finally safe to continue, Webber did so. "Now, about a month ago, I informed you all about the new Harper Avery project." Several nods were aimed at him and he returned them. "They decided to hold seven events, giving seven hospitals the chance to earn themselves funds for several clinical trials and brand new state-of-the-art equipment. Ladies and gents, out of hundreds of hospitals, SGMW was chosen to partake in one of the seven activities."

Although, they all knew about the project — no one actually knew what the events were. Webber hushed the whispers and questions coming from everyone. "Like the hospitals, the events were chosen out of a hat. Baltimore recently found out that they were going skydiving."

"We actually got picked?" Bailey asked in shock.

"You did," Webber confirmed, lifting up a piece of paper from the desk. "I've chosen all of you to represent SGMW, and take part in this activity." He held up a small white envelope. "And_ this_ has the answer to all your questions."

Mark was on the edge of his seat. "Open it! When are we doing it?!" he requested in excitement.

Callie grimaced at the loud excitement in her best friend's voice. Why the hell had she been dragged out of cuddle-heaven for _this_?

"In three weeks." Webber opened the envelope painfully slowly, like he was about to reveal who had won a talent contest. "In three weeks, all of you are going to be..." he paused for effect, his eyes widening when he saw what was written inside. By now, everyone was on the edge of their seats.

"All of you are going to be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro."

* * *

**You know what they say...Nothing brings two people together like climbing a mountain does. I have no idea where this thought came from, but it was always in my head since I first started planning the story — so I'm rolling with it. If you don't like it, that's totally cool...just say that you don't like it in a respectable manner. Also, I know the sex scene was quick and dirty, but it was supposed to be because they were drunk. Loving all the reviews, follows, favs, and PM's. Can't wait to see how crazy you guys think I am haha.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or these characters, ya'll. **

* * *

Webber's words were empty in Arizona's ears. Everything he was saying, and every question from anyone else around her, was going in one ear and then straight out the other. The rest of the group looked excited, like they were kids and had just been informed that they were going to Disneyland.

Over the last...Arizona didn't really know how long she had been sat there, she had gave up on looking at her watch. Every time Webber seemed like he was about to finish, someone else would then ask another question.

Arizona was tired, thirsty, hungover, and quite frankly, a little horny. Images of last night with Callie, and what they did, were flooding her mind, and she couldn't get them out. And the sight of adorable, messy-haired, sleepy Callie that was sat across from her, was not helping those images.

Soon, though, everyone was evacuating their chairs, and Arizona realized that the meeting was over. She saw Mark, Callie, and Lexie engaged in deep conversation across the table. Figuring that they would be there a while, Arizona got up out of her seat and followed Alex out of the room.

Catching up to him, a fair hand darted out to grasp her Fellow's elbow, pulling him into the adjacent on-call room. "What the hell did you do?!" Arizona glared at him, arms crossed over her chest.

"You figured that out, huh?" Alex mumbled sheepishly, moving to sit down on the small single bed.

"You _slept_ with April?" Arizona yelled loudly, her hands waving animatedly in front of his face. "Why would you do that, Alex?"

Looking more lost than ever, Alex shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he answered honestly, not making an attempt to say anything else.

"Alex," Arizona started, her voice obtaining a hint of sympathy. "I know you think it's funny to annoy her and whatever, and I know she drives some people crazy. But you can't mess with her head." She knew it wasn't any of her business, but Kepner didn't really have anyone in her corner — and Arizona refused to allow people to take advantage of her. "She's not the kind of girl you mess around with, Alex. She's the kind of girl who's looking for her Prince Charming."

"I know. I know. I know." Alex finally looked up from the floor, the look on his face unreadable. "I'm not gonna mess with her, I promise," he insisted profusely, sounding like he actually meant it. "It just happened...and don't ask me how it happened. We were just talking, in the hallway, and she was saying how Avery had started to date that intern. And then I started talking about how I'd stopped sleeping with Addison. Then we were at my house...and I'm pretty sure you don't need me to tell you what happened next."

Giving a small shake of the head, Arizona perched herself onto the bed next to him. "I thought you were done with women? That we were all crazy?"

Again, he shrugged his shoulders, a somewhat comical look on his face. "I thought that, too," he agreed with a mild chuckle. "But Kepner...I know I give her crap all the time — but she's actually kind of funny."

"No!" Arizona said adamantly, turning to face him. "You cannot start having sex with April. She falls, Alex; really, _really_ hard." Arizona knew, first-hand, that Alex Karev was not a bad guy, like most people thought he was. He was funny and sweet and charming — when he wanted to be — and if April saw the real side of him, Arizona knew it would only end in disaster.

"I'm not going to," Alex sighed, then flunked down to lie on the bed. "Why am I such a slut?"

Arizona rolled her eyes. It felt like she was having a conversation with a teenage girl. "You're not a slut; you just have slutty tendencies."

"Right," Alex nodded his head, like that was a real thing. "You slept with Callie, last night — didn't you?"

For the life of her, Arizona had no idea how he knew that. Sure, her hair was an absolute mess, but that could have been for any reason. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you both look like you spent the whole night having dirty, hot sex. And I'm pretty sure neither of you would sleep with anybody else." Alex's face softened, sort of like he was letting his boss know that it was okay to talk about it.

"That's really creepy," Arizona said, but didn't deny what he was asking. He clearly already knew, so she didn't have to say it. "Everything's just...all over the place."

Alex huffed out a sigh. "Are you guys gonna talk?"

Honestly, Arizona didn't really know, anymore. Communication was not something she and Callie were good at. "I hope so," was the most positive response she could manage. And even at that, it didn't sound entirely convincing.

"You guys suck," Alex moaned his displeasure, curling his arm under the soft pillow, turning onto his side. "How long has the been going on with you two?"

Arizona didn't really want to answer; it felt like forever. "Too long."

"Do you love her?" Alex asked softly, almost embarrassed at how vulnerable his voice was.

Admitting it out loud wasn't going to make anything any easier, Arizona thought to herself. "I don't have to answer that for you to know. I think it's pretty obvious." She really tried not to think about it because it only made her want Callie more. And right now, they were at a crossroads, unsure of where to go or what to do.

The answer, was exactly what Alex had expected to hear from her. "We're kinda friends, right?"

Arizona's lips turned up into a smile as she turned to face him. "Haven't we always been friends?"

"Didn't you hate me for like half a year?" Alex reminded with a laugh.

"I didn't hate you," Arizona stated softly, twisting her body to face him a bit more. "I was angry at everything and everyone, but I didn't hate you."

If he was being honest, it was something he had wanted to hear for months. "Don't you think that me cutting of your leg, has brought us closer together?" Alex asked lightly, a small, relieved smile on face.

For a few seconds, Arizona just stared at him, her face completely blank. "Almost to the point where I wish you'd done it _years_ ago," she said sarcastically, plastering on a heavy smile for good measure. Never did she think they'd get to the point where they could actually talk about it, let alone joke about it.

Alex began to laugh, to which Arizona sound joined in. "You're crazy," he commented, still chuckling a little.

"Yeah," Arizona gave a heavy sigh in agreement, then stood up from the bed. "I have to go sleep. And then attempt to talk to Callie."

"Yeah. Good luck with that." Alex laughed again.

* * *

Later that night, after she'd slept for several hours and had a lengthy, soothing shower, Callie made her way to the front of her apartment when the door went. She opened it to reveal a nervous looking blonde on the other side. "Oh, hey," Callie said in surprise, moving out of the way to let Arizona enter the apartment.

The reaction wasn't really a great one. "Were you expecting someone?" Arizona asked hesitantly, venturing farther into the cosy apartment. One thing she had always noticed about Callie, was that the brunette always lit candles. Even when they spent their time together, months ago, Callie had still bought a candle for the apartment. It made the apartment feel nice and homey, and Arizona liked it.

With a smile on her face, Callie gave a small shake of the head. "No, but I wasn't really expecting you, either."

"After that meeting, I went home and showered, then spent the rest of the day sleeping," Arizona admitted, rounding the couch to sit herself in her favorite spot. She couldn't help but notice how stunning Callie looked, clad in a pair of baggy sweatpants and tank top, with her flung up in a messy ponytail. Callie dressed up, was gorgeous. But Arizona liked dressed-down Callie just as much.

Feeling a pang of envy hit her, Callie wished they had spent their sleepy day together. She found herself wondering what the outcome of the morning would have been, if they didn't get paged by Webber. "Oh, did you get that email?" Callie asked, suddenly remembering what she had read only a few minutes ago.

"What email?" Arizona questioned, slipping her phone out of her side-pocket to check her inbox. True enough, there was one unread message.

"The Avery foundation changed to location of the climb, saying that Kilimanjaro was far too high risk," Callie recited the words from her screen, her thumb scrolling to reach the middle of the message. "Apparently the weather isn't supposed to be great there, either, so they've changed it to some mountain in California, instead."

Arizona's mind was suddenly put at ease. The thought of Callie climbing a high-risk mountain, with virtually no experience, wasn't really sitting well with her. "That's a lot better," she said in relievement , deleting the message as it was no longer needed. "How long does this one take?"

"Only two and a half days," Callie replied briskly, crossing her legs over in her seat. "I was kinda worried about Kilimanjaro cause it's kinda cold, but California's gonna be fine. Growing up living in Miami heat is finally gonna pay off."

"Just try not to die up there," Arizona added lightly, a playful smile on her face.

Callie returned the smile, her sparkling white teeth almost blinding. "Are you uh — are you going to talk to your prosthetist?"

Arizona's face scrunched up into a look on confusion. "About what?" Callie knew she didn't have any appointments scheduled, so why was she asking such a random question?

"Does he not need to clear you, so you can climb the mountain?" Now, Callie was the one who was confused. Webber had clearly stated that everyone must undergo a health check before they took part.

All of a sudden, Arizona began to laugh hysterically, her eyes almost watering by how much laughter was tearing from her lips. But as she began to calm down, she realized that Callie wasn't laughing with her. No, surely not? Callie didn't think she was actually going to go, did she?

But it dawned on Arizona that the quiet brunette _did_ think that. "Callie, I'm not going," Arizona said seriously, all the trace of humor gone from her voice.

And in a dramatic turn of the tables, it was then Callie who laughed. "Why not?"

Was Callie actually being serious? Arizona really didn't know what to make of it. "I only have one leg, Callie," she sarcastically reminded, not sounding amused in the slightest.

"Really?" Callie's voice was just as sarcastic. Noticing that Arizona looked beyond pissed off, Callie took a different approach. "Look, Kilimanjaro probably would have been hell for you, and I would have got it if you pulled out of that. But the mountain in California only takes two and a half days to climb. The email said it was basically hill-walking with two nights of camping."

Arizona could admit that the mountain wasn't really a worry, anymore. But it was never really about the climbing. "And how are we gonna get to California, Callie? Are we gonna walk, get on a train, take the bus?"

It was extremely clear what the problem was. "You don't want to go on a plane," Callie said softly, sadly. That hadn't even been thought of. How stupid was she?

"No," Arizona deadpanned sharply. The thought alone almost made her feel like having a panic attack. "I _can't_ go on a plane." Not wanting to wasn't the problem, it was the _physically not being able to_ that was the major issue.

How the hell was Callie supposed to approach this issue? Arizona was clearly terrified out of her mind. "Do you think you'll ever get on a plane again?"

Arizona took a few seconds before her shoulders gave a sad shrug. "I hope so," she admitted quietly, effectively stunning Callie by the defeat in her voice.

"You can do this, Arizona." It only took a few seconds before Callie was at the blonde's side, though their was no physical contact. "The flight only takes around two hours, and I'll be with you the whole time."

Letting Callie down was something that Arizona hated, but this time — it was out of her control. "Callie, this isn't one of those situations where you can say something sweet and reassuring, and then I'll change my mind." It sucked for the most part because, now that is was only a small trek in California, Arizona actually really wanted to do it. "It's not even been a year. It's...too soon," she said sadly, looking away from those inquisitive brown eyes.

Callie knew this was something that couldn't be pushed. If Arizona didn't want to get on a plane, then there was nothing Callie could say without upsetting Arizona, nothing that could convince the blonde otherwise. "You didn't think you could ever wear your prosthetic in front of anybody, yet you did that last night," the brunette coaxed gently, like she was dealing with a sleeping rattlesnake.

Before Arizona could reply, however, Cristina entered the apartment, stopping in her tracks when she saw them sat so close on the couch. "Am I interrupting?" the smaller brunette inquired, shifting out of the jacket she was wearing, then throwing it onto the breakfast bar.

Somewhat glad that Cristina _had_ interrupted them, Arizona moved further away from Callie's body, shifting to the other side of the couch. "No, you're good," she assured with a tight smile. She noticed Cristina was holding several take-out containers. "I think I'm just gonna go."

"You don't have to go," Cristina insisted, ripping the bag of food open. "Stay. We're just gonna hang out and watch crappy TV."

It was hard to even process, Arizona had to stifle a laugh. She was near enough becoming best friends with Alex Karev. And Callie and Cristina Yang were slowly striking up a friendship.

What was happening to the world?

"Stay," Callie encouraged, offering of a kind smile. She realized something, though, as Arizona shot her a grin and then made her way to the kitchen. Arizona obviously hadn't come down here to talk about the Mountain climb. She could suddenly have killed Cristina. Once again, their long awaited talk hadn't happened.

Would it ever?

* * *

With a purposeful swagger in her step, and only one thing on her mind, Miranda Bailey sauntered into the Head of Peds office, looking like she owned the place. "Rumor has it somebody ain't joining us up on the mountain."

Arizona could have groaned. Miranda Bailey had the power to talk anyone into anything. She vowed herself to stay strong and not let the intimidating woman get to her. "And by rumor, you obviously mean Callie?"

"Callie ain't told me nothing." Bailey walked further into the office, confidently setting herself down in the chair opposite the blonde. "Why you not coming?"

Struck by the softness in which the question was asked, Arizona's mouth fell slightly. "I uhm — I can't get on a plane." Her own voice sounded so pathetic in her ears; Bailey was going to have a field day with this.

"I'm scared of heights," Bailey offered up quietly, surprising the blonde with the admission. "I think it's because I'm short."

At this, Arizona had to give a laugh. "That may be why." She was interested to find out which approach Bailey was going to take; it was so obvious what she was here for. "Just get down to it, Bailey," Arizona pleaded, closing over the Pediatric Journal she was reading from.

"You know, we're gonna be away for four days in total," Bailey mumbled out cryptically, giving a mild shrug. "That's a lot of lost Callie time."

"_Lost Callie time_?" Arizona looked beyond amused, her face struggling not to break out into a smile. "You can do a lot better than that, Miranda."

Bailey just got straight into, like she always did. "You need to do this for you, Arizona. Not for me. Not for Callie. Not for anybody else. But for _you._" She sat forward on her chair, leaning her elbows on the blonde's desk. "You've come a long way. You've learned to walk, you've gone back to work, you've forgiven Alex Karev." There was a tiny pause before she continued. "You've met Callie and you've fallen in love, even when you didn't think a woman would ever be able to look at you again. You've came a long way."

Taking the silence as a good thing, Bailey went on. "But you're not 100%," she said gently, noting the emotion swirling in the blue eyes across from her. "Don't you think that doing this — getting on a plane — will get you back to 100%?" When Arizona didn't say anything, Bailey knew she saw getting there. "Don't you think you're scared to be with Callie because you're scared that you can't give her 100%?"

Once again, Miranda Bailey had managed to get into Arizona's head. Because everything she had just said — Arizona realized that it was true. "I'm scared that I'm not gonna be enough for her. I'm scared that I'm still not me," Arizona whispered, a hint of tears present in her bright blue eyes.

"You are _you_," Bailey insisted sternly, her eyes boring through emotional blue ones. "This is the last step, Arizona." She watched as the blonde gave the tiniest of nods. "Take the step. You and I both know that you can do it."

Arizona blew out a heavy breath. "I'll think about it."

Later that day, after scrubbing out of her last surgery for the night, Arizona was stood outside an office door, her hand gently resting on the handle. Bailey's words had struck her. _Hard_. If she wasn't so terrified, it would have been almost humorous how Bailey always managed to do what she did.

The more Arizona went over it in her head, the more she had realized that, maybe, this was the last step. Arizona felt more like herself than she had in months, but it still felt like there was a fraction left to go before she was whole again. Of course, when she woke up screaming through the night in agony, it felt like she was a shell of a person. But today, on days where she felt good and happy, Arizona felt like the old Arizona.

And it was all because of one person.

That had led Arizona to where she was now, entering through Callie's office door and strolling into the room. "I'm gonna be scared," Arizona said, standing a few feet away from the desk where Callie was sat. "I'm gonna be out of my mind terrified."

Callie was looking at the blonde, her brows knitted together in confusion. "What?"

"On the plane," Arizona went on to explain, letting out a sharp breath. "When we get on the plane to California, I'm going to be terrified." The brightening of those gorgeous chocolate eyes, was what Arizona lived for. "I'm probably going to cry, but you're just going to have to deal with that."

"Okay," Callie simply said, a grin fighting to break onto her face.

But Arizona wasn't done. "I'm probably going to be a major bitch."

"Okay," Callie repeated again.

"And I'm probably going to call you every single name under the sun," Arizona continued to rant, not looking like she was planning on stopping any time soon.

"Okay."

"You're gonna have to hold my hand the entire way, and promise that you won't let you," Arizona went on quickly.

"Okay."

Finally, Arizona nodded, signaling that she was done. "Okay."

Callie was grinning like an idiot by the time Arizona was done. "You're really gonna do this?"

Not looking entirely convincing, Arizona managed a nod. "I guess." She sat down in the chair on the near side of Callie's desk. "I talked to the Chief, and he said that I didn't need David, the prosthetist, to clear me. But I'm still gonna have him take a look at my leg; give me some reassurance."

"I can do that." Callie was used to dealing with follow-up patients that had undergone amputations, and was more than qualified to let Arizona know if her residual limb was fit for a two day hike.

"No, Callie," Arizona declined the offer, making the brunette look like someone had just slapped her. "You're not my doctor. You're my..." the words trailed off emptily when Arizona didn't have a clue how to finish the sentence.

What were they?

Unable to control the disappointment washing over her, Callie looked away from Arizona's gaze. "I know I'm not your doctor, but I can —"

"No!" Arizona cut in, her tone leaving no room for argument. Callie took care of her all the time, and Arizona was scared that she would, one day, grow sick of it.

Just as Callie didn't think her heart could take anymore, Arizona's angelic voice spoke up, "But would you, maybe...come with me?" Callie was shocked into silence. Arizona was asking her to be her support system — that was all Callie wanted to be.

"I went to every single appointment myself," Arizona said with a sad laugh, just about breaking Callie's heart at the revelation. "It sucked. And every time I was there, I wished that I had somebody there with me." It was a big step — a massive step — and Arizona was glad she took it. "If you don't want to, it's fine..."

"Of course I'll go with you," Callie interrupted, unable to keep the sheer elation out of her voice. "When is it?"

"It's Friday at one o'clock," Arizona smiled, her heart now on fire for another reason. "And uh — I was kinda hoping you'd let me take you to lunch after it, and we can _finally_ have that talk."

Wa-was Callie imagining this? Had Arizona Robbins voluntarily asked her to accompany her to an appointment about her leg, and then invited her for lunch to talk about their potential relationship. Was Arizona high?

This couldn't be happening.

Callie was struggling to keep her mouth from falling open. "I — really?"

"No, I just wanted to get your hopes up and then tear them down," Arizona nodded along sarcastically, but then grinned. "Yes, really."

"Ok-okay," Callie stammered out, awkwardly smiling through the nerves

"Super," Arizona grinned, dimples covering her cheeks.

* * *

Two days later, Arizona was perched on the exam table of the Prosthetics Suite of Seattle Presbyterian, whilst Callie walked around the room, touching just about every object in sight. When Arizona had lost her leg, she had decided to do her rehabilitation at Seattle Pres, instead of SGMW. She didn't want any of her co-workers to see her when she saw in such a negative state of mind.

"Stop touching the stuff," Arizona hissed, waving at Callie to come back to the other side of the room.

Callie ignored the comment and continued to look around. "Relax. I'm not gonna break anything."

"I'll break you if you don't get over here!" Arizona said sharply, roughly tugging on the material of Callie's leather jacket when the Latina finally gave in. "Try and keep your hands to yourself."

Laughing at the words, Callie took up position next to Arizona, though she stood and did not sit. "Speak for yourself." She looked to the door when a handsome guy in his mid-thirties entered the Suite.

"Arizona. Hey," David greeted the blonde, immediately making his way over the table to shake his patients hand. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?" Arizona replied politely, offering up a small smile.

David nodded happily. "I'm great." He turned to the gorgeous brunette who was standing extremely close to the blonde. "And who is _this_?"

Arizona rolled her eyes playfully, then indicated to the Latina on her left. "This is Callie."

"Callie Torres," Callie introduced herself, outstretching her hand for him to shake. "I'm an orthopedic surgeon at SGMW."

David looked a little offended, but still took the offered hand. "You brought an orthopedic surgeon with you"? He turned to face Arizona, his eyebrow raised in questioning. "You don't trust me or something?"

"What? No!" Arizona gasped, unsure of how _this_ was going to be explained. "I didn't bring her because she's an orthopedic surgeon. I brought her because she's my...We're kind of—I'm her...She's..."

"She's gonna marry me, one day," Callie interrupted confidently, and not at all jokingly.

Rolling her eyes, Arizona looked at him and gave a small shrug. "We'll go with that." Even though it was light-hearted and fun, Arizona had butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it.

"Right," David grinned knowingly, looking between the two women. "Do you remember the day we first met, and you were screaming at me about how no woman would ever even look at you again?" he asked Arizona, who looked away with a groan. "And now look at you." He looked Callie up and down, an approving smile on his face. "You've scored _that_," he gawked at the brunette.

"She's not a _that_, David," Arizona scolded lightly, sharing a mutual smile with Callie.

David just continued to grin. "What is she, then?"

Even Arizona didn't know the answer to that question, so what the hell was she supposed to say? She looked at Callie for some form of help, but came up empty. "She's too special for me to be giving you details, so can we hurry this along."

The prosthetist turned to face Callie. "Are you the shy type?"

"I'm not the shy type," Callie defended, but not harshly. Why did it seem like Arizona was friends with this guy? Arizona had never mentioned him. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Yeah, I do that," David agreed with a shrug, then turned to fully face Arizona. "Okay. Your leg. So you wanna take your jeans off and I'll have a look. Is Callie staying whilst I'm doing this?"

Nodding, Arizona stepped sown from the table, her fingertips working over the silver button on her jeans. "Callie's staying." She had on a pair of leggings under her jeans, so he didn't have to see her in her underwear.

"Okay, let's do this," David said, then began his exam.

Around forty-five minutes later, after David had insisted that Arizona's leg would easily manage a two day hike, Callie and Arizona were walking down the busy streets of downtown Seattle, searching for a nice, quiet place to have lunch.

"I haven't been to California in so long," Arizona stated excitedly, the nerves she had before her appointment now nowhere in sight. The only downside to today, was that, due to the very busy streets, her hand was brushing against Callie's with every step they took. And Arizona wanted nothing more than to hold it.

That happy, excited tone in Arizona's voice, was like music to Callie's ears. "My dad has a house in LA and we used to go every summer, but I haven't been in a couple years, either." She knew her family still went, though — without her, of course.

It happened instinctively — like it did months ago, too — constant brushing of the hands led them both to curl the hands around each others at the same time, fingers softy entwining. They weren't used to being out in public and not holding hands.

Old habits died hard, apparently.

With a grin tugging at the corners of her lips, Callie looked down at their joined hands, then back at Arizona, who was also fighting to hold in a smile. "I missed this," she said honestly, her voice a little on the quiet side.

Arizona gave a genuine smile. "I missed this, too." Dimly, she remembered the cute little café they had dined at, a few months ago. "You wanna go to that place we went to, last time?"

Nodding with a smile on her face, Callie led them in the direction of said café, her hand obtaining its grip on Arizona's the entire way. Around five minutes later, they were sat in a cosy little café in downtown Seattle. They café was warm and quiet; exactly what they both wanted.

"What did you get last time?" Last time they came here, Callie remembered stealing half of Arizona's meal and barely touching her own.

"Some chicken sandwich thing," Arizona recalled, eyes scanning over the menu. For several minutes, they sat in a comfortable silence, looking over the menu. Once they had both made their decisions, the waitress had came over and taken their order.

And then it got serious.

Arizona tapped her fingers on the desk, her lips drawn between her teeth as she looked at Callie. "So..." Arizona drawled, hoping Callie would take the lead. All Arizona had thought about for the past week or so, was this conversation, and now that they were actually having it —she didn't know _how_ to have it.

Knowing they'd be here forever if they didn't just talk, Callie did just that. "Okay. What's holding you back?"

Arizona grimaced a little; trust Calliope to get straight to the point. "I um — I'm scared that things with the Phantom limb are gonna get worse. And I'm scared that if it does get worse, you won't be able to handle it." Having Callie and then losing Callie, was her biggest fear. "I'm scared that I'm not gonna be good enough for you," she added in a deathly quiet whisper.

Nodding, Callie braced her elbows on the table. "Why do you feel like that?" _That_ killed her. How could Arizona think such a thing?

That was the exact question Arizona, herself, wanted the answer to. "I have no idea," she replied with a bitter laugh. "I don't know why I feel like this, Callie. It's not you, because I trust you with all my heart." It was a feeling that she had, but the reason why she had it, was completely unknown. "But the past few weeks, I — spending time with you but not actually _being_ with you, has killed me." Gently, she reached her hands out to cup Callie's, blue eyes pleading with chocolate brown. "I know that I've hurt you. And I know that, sometimes, I've made you think that I don't care about you — but I do. I care about you, so, _so_ much. And I want to be with you more than anything," her voice was pleading, desperate almost.

Normally, Callie wouldn't be one to voice it, but Arizona had already done so. "Sometimes, I did think that you didn't care," Callie admitted quietly, vulnerably.

The sadness in that husky voice just about killed Arizona. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely, gripping those tanned hands tight. "I'm so sorry about how I dealt with things between us, when you first got here. And I'm sorry that's it's taken me so long to admit that I don't wanna be without you. _Ever_." She was determined now, determined to prove that she would never hurt Callie ever again. "If you let me, I will spend the rest of my life proving to you how much you mean to me," Arizona promised, her nails biting into the backs of Callie's hand by how hard she was holding them.

This was all Callie had wanted to hear, and more. "Rest of your life, huh?" She couldn't _not_ smirk upon saying this. Here was Arizona Robbins, the most stubborn woman in all existence, and she was telling Callie her biggest fears, whilst saying that she really wanted to be with her.

Arizona returned the smirk. "Well, we're gonna get married, one day — aren't we?"

The grin on Callie's face was almost embarrassing; she was unbelievably glad that the small café was quiet and that no one could see them. "Yeah." She blew out a small, shaky breath. "But I'm calling the shots from now on," she tried to sound confident, but the nervousness in her voice completely betrayed what she was going for.

Arizona raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you sound so scared about it?"

"Shut up," Callie sharply cut in, but did not sound any way angry. "Come here." She patted the bench next to her, and shifted her body when Arizona immediately stood up and sat next to her. "I know that the place crash took something from you, and I know that you're scared." She sat as close as possible to Arizona, grasping fair hands tight, once again. "But I _promise_ you that I won't ever run. I promise that you're the only girl I'll ever want." The only girl Callie would ever love. "And in five years, when we're _still_ together, I am going to shove this conversation in your face," she finished confidently, making Arizona laugh heartily.

"So...we're together?" Arizona asked timidly, heart bursting in anticipation of the answer Callie was about to give.

Callie had been waiting forever for this moment, she could hardly get the words out fast enough. "We're together." And god, did it feel good. "Do you remember my rule about PDA?"

Arizona rolled her eyes. The 'Calliope Torres PDA rule' was potentially the dumbest thing ever made up. "That it shouldn't exist and you should get to kiss me whenever you like?"

"Exactly," Callie grinned, giving a small glance around to see if anyone was watching them. Satisfied that they weren't, Callie leaned in and softly brushed their lips together, gently cupping Arizona's smooth cheek with her right hand. It was soft and sweet and perfect, and Callie was infinitely glad that she could now do it whenever she pleased.

Because they were a couple.

Once the kiss was broken, Arizona cuddled into Callie's side. She couldn't remember a time in her life where she had ever felt more relieved. "Now that we're together, can I tell you that you have to order your own fries and not eat mine?"

Another grin broke out over Callie's face. "No, I'm still gonna eat yours."

Because they were a couple.

* * *

Juggling the items carefully in her hands, Callie managed to knock on the door in front of her without dropping anything. The past two weeks had flown by, and they were due to fly to California tomorrow afternoon.

The door opened, revealing the gorgeous blonde stood on the other side. She didn't know if she'd ever see Arizona and not get goosebumps; they were just there, all the time.

"Hey," Arizona grinned widely, surprised at who was stood on the other side. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working all night?" She opened the door further and allowed Callie to stroll past her.

"I was supposed to be, but the Chief let me leave early because we're flying out tomorrow," Callie explained, and began making her way towards the kitchen. "So, I brought food and a ton of junk food, and I figured we could have a lazy night in before tomorrow?"

Arizona was terrified of getting on the plane tomorrow. And Arizona knew that Callie was doing this because Callie was terrified of Arizona being terrified — it was a vicious cycle. "What'd you bring?" Arizona asked sweetly, nodding towards the two bags that Callie was beginning to unload.

"Pizza, of course." Callie held up the offending item. "Chips, with dip. Chocolate in all variations. Ben & Jerry's." She unloaded the various items as she said them. "Marshmallows. Regular coke...because why eat junk food if you're going to drink diet," Callie questioned in irritation. "Sour patch kids. Those weird gummy bear things you insisted on getting when we went to the movies last week. And...because I cant believe you don't have any, I got you a gift to take to California."

Dear god, she was dating the most perfect woman in the entire existence. Arizona opened the box and grinned when she saw what was inside. "Ray Ban sunglasses," she laughed out loud, completely unsurprised by what Callie had bought her. "They're awesome. Thank you."

A few days ago, Callie had experienced one of the most difficult decisions of her entire life, when she had to pick what pair of sunglasses to take to California. And of course, Arizona didn't understand what the big deal was and admitted that she didn't own sunglasses. Callie had just about fainted, and then ranted — for what felt like ten hours — on the importance of owning sunglasses.

"Not just normal sunglasses." Callie withdrew her own sunglasses, letting her mouth fall open in mock shock. "_Matching_ sunglasses," she hollered, slipping the shades onto her face.

"Oh wow," Arizona laughed, unwrapping the paper from her own glasses. "Only you could pull that gift off." Carefully, Arizona placed her own glasses over her eyes, then bit her lip in an attempt to be over-the-top sexy. "How's that?"

Although Arizona was clearly attempting to joke, Callie still found the cute boy shorts, tank top, messy hair, Ray Ban combo, to be unbelievably sexy. "That's hot."

"How hot?" Arizona plastered a smouldering hot, cocky look onto her face.

"_So_ hot," Callie played along, a grin on her face. Before Callie could register what was happening, Arizona had captured her lips in a bruising kiss, pushing her backwards until her back hit the kitchen counter. Not one to complain — especially when Arizona Robbins' tongue was in her mouth — Callie returned the kiss just as passionately, gripping Arizona's hips tightly. "Mhmm, what was that for?"

Still overcome by the love and adoration for the woman standing in front of her, Arizona continued to pepper those plump lips with soft kisses, her hands tangling in those raven locks. "You're just really, really perfect," Arizona breathed out, a light smile on her face. "Like, sometimes, if I'm having a conversation with someone, all I wanna do is start telling them about how lucky I am, and how freakin' amazing you are."

"I wouldn't mind if you did that," Callie encouraged playfully, leaning down to steal another kiss. For sure, Arizona Robbins had the most addictive lips — Callie couldn't get enough of kissing them.

"Oh." Arizona pulled back enough to aim a dimpled smile up at the brunette. "I'll start doing it, then."

"Great," Callie mumbled out before continuing to kiss those slightly bruised pink lips. _Addictive._

Over an hour later, half of the pizza had been consumed, along with half the junk food. Arizona was laying flat out on the couch, her right leg wedged in between Callie's back and the couch, whilst her left thigh rested gently on Callie's knee.

"Do you think we've reached the comfortable stage too soon?" Arizona away from the re-run of _Friends_ to look at Callie.

Callie carefully adjusted the sunglasses still adorning her face. "Why?"

Arizona had to stifle a laugh. It was so completely obvious why she had asked it. "We've only been dating two weeks. And yet, we're both cuddled up on the couch wearing our 'unsexy' pajamas. We've consumed our entire weight in junk food. We own matching couples sunglasses...and we're both _wearing_ those sunglasses at this present moment." They were both so ridiculous, Arizona couldn't help but love it. "So, yeah...I think we've reached the comfortable stage," Arizona raised a teasing eyebrow.

Callie, however, took it the wrong way. "You don't...like it?" she asked quietly, almost sounding insecure.

"Are you kidding me?" Arizona laughed loudly, grasping Callie's left hand in her own. "This is a relationship of dreams. Aren't you glad we don't have to deal with that _'do you like me'_ crap?"

"Ugh, so glad," Callie groaned in agreement.

Up until four nights ago — even though Callie had slept over at Arizona's three times — they still hadn't had sex. They agreed on _trying_ to take it slow, and the joke between them, was that 'they wouldn't last a week.' But, they'd managed to last just over a week before they re-connected physically. And when they did — it was amazing.

As much of a cliché as it was, they had spent the night making love. Their touches were filled with love and tenderness. The words whispered were gentle and sweet. And after, they had fallen asleep in each others arms, exhausted and completely satisfied.

To both of them, it was perfect.

Even though the dark brown shades were covering those gorgeous blue eyes, Callie could tell that Arizona was staring at her. "What?" When the blonde only tilted her head, Callie playfully tugged on Arizona's hand. "Why are you staring at me, you weirdo?"

Arizona's mouth fell agape. "I'm not allowed to stare at my girlfriend? Are there rules about that kinda thing?"

Wh-what had Arizona just called her? Callie could hardly remember her middle name, whereas Arizona was smiling like nothing major had happened. "I'm sorry, what?" Callie breathed out shakily, obviously looking for some clarification.

Slipping the sunglasses off her face, Arizona's eyes were drew together in confusion. "What's wrong with you?"

Callie scoffed, shaky hands reaching up to remove her own sunglasses. "Nothing. What's wrong with _you_?" she shot back, making Arizona frown even more. "You just called me your girlfriend and you don't even realize how big a deal that is?"

"Oh," Arizona recalled, then gave a small shrug. "If you think it's too soon, then it's fine. It's cool."

Cool? Well, what did it matter if everything was _cool_? "I just — I thought I'd be the one that said it first," Callie admitted, softly toying with the tips of Arizona's fingers. "I wanted to say it, but I thought you'd freak out."

Again, Arizona only shrugged. "Why would I be freaked out? These two weeks with you have been amazing—_perfect_, even." She could tell Callie was fighting back a smile; the sight alone made Arizona smile. "You're the most important person in my life — you mean everything to me. So, what's the point in messing around? You and I, are together," Arizona stated, leaving no room for argument.

And Callie wasn't planning on arguing with it. "So..." Callie began, coolly slipping her shades back into place on her face. "You wanna consummate this shit, right here right now?" She clicked her fingers in a completely failed attempt to pull of the casual Gangster look.

"Oh..my god," Arizona began to laugh hysterically, covering her eyes with her hands. Once she started, she couldn't stop; the loud laughter spilling from her lips was bouncing off every wall in the apartment. "You massive, massive dork," Arizona cried, still wholly unable to stop laughing.

Quickly, Callie covered the shaking body with her own, her hands digging into Arizona's sides, eliciting even more laughter from the shrieking blonde. "Tell me how funny I am," Callie demanded playfully, the smile on her face completely carefree and happy.

"CALLIE!" Arizona screamed out through her laughter, fruitlessly attempting to bat her girlfriend's hands away.

"How funny am I?" Callie repeated, her own laughter immediately joining in, though it was nowhere near as loud as Arizona's.

"HILARIOUS! You're hilarious!" Arizona yelled loudly, tears clouding her shining blue eyes.

Still, though, Callie refused to let up. "Out of ten — how funny am I?"

"TEN! YOU'RE A TEN!" Arizona was half expecting one of her neighbours to knock on her door; she was screaming like a complete maniac. But she really didn't have it in her to care — not when she was having this much fun with the woman she was crazy in love with.

Callie shook her head in mock disappointment, her hands still tickling her girlfriend's ribs. "Out of twenty?"

"TWENTY! PLEASE!" And just like that, Callie had stopped, leaving Arizona panting and completely out of breath.

"You don't have to shout," Callie whispered, looking around the apartment like it was full of people. "Have some respect. Jeez." Arizona's laughter, was the only sound that could set Callie's heart on fire.

And it would stay that way, until the day she heard her kids laughter for the first time.

Choking in some air, Arizona tried to get her breathing under control. "Ow," Arizona gasped out, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "You're insane!"

"Mhmm," Callie hummed, her lips darting out to nip at Arizona's earlobe. "But you're stuck with me, anyway."

* * *

If Callie thought back to every time she had slept next to Arizona Robbins, she couldn't ever recall a time where she had awoken first. But that was the case today. Callie had woke up around 8:45am, and it was now nearing 9:30am. Arizona still hadn't showed any signs of waking up — something Callie was completely shocked by.

"Hey," Callie softly cooed, pressing her lips against the silky smooth skin of her girlfriend's cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Arizona gave a mild grunt in response, but refused to turn around. After they had gone to bed, Callie, as predicted, immediately fell asleep after two rounds of sex. Arizona, however, had been awake for most of the night, completely dreading what was happening today.

When those baby blues fluttered open, Callie noted the exhaustion resting within them. "You didn't sleep," she stated, though it was not a question. Callie knew Arizona had not slept. And she knew why Arizona had not slept.

"Not really." Arizona rolled over onto her back, her hands rubbing at her sleepy eyes. "I couldn't stop thinking about today."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Callie questioned with a sigh, adjusting her position so Arizona could cuddle into her.

Arizona pressed a light kiss to the soft skin of her girlfriend's collarbone. "Because I'd be waking you up to tell you that I was scared and then you'd be awake for no reason. What good is that going to do?"

Callie sighed and shook her head. "I want you to promise me that if you're ever wakened for more than an hour, you'll wake me up."

"No, Callie," Arizona refused, her hand trailing up and down the length of the glorious naked body under her. "I'm not doing that."

"Yes, you are," Callie insisted, rolling over so that she was face to face with her pouting girlfriend. "I know when you've not slept. And I'm gonna worry _all_ day if you've been up all night, so I need you to wake me up at night — because it's my job to make sure you're okay. If you're not okay, then I'm not okay."

Arizona managed a soft, yet genuine smile. "Fine," she conceded, knowing better than to argue with Callie when it was about something like this. "I'm really, really scared, Callie."

Kissing the top of her girlfriend's head, Callie pulled Arizona flush against her, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth and love. "I know you are," she said in agreement, her heart crumbling just a little. "I'm gonna be there the whole time, okay? I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

Blowing out a heavy breath, Arizona nodded into Callie's neck. "Okay," she rasped out, dreading the thought of even leaving the bed.

Today was going to suck — for both of them.

* * *

"What are you thinking?" Arizona heard Callie's voice ask her. Giving a mild shake of her head, she looked away from the three seats and refocused on the concerned looking brunette.

"I don't know," Arizona admitted quietly, her hand still obtaining its firm grim on Callie's. Other than when the both of them had taken a quick bathroom break inside the airport, Arizona didn't recall letting go of her girlfriend's hand, since they left the apartment this morning. "Where do you usually sit?"

This was breaking Callie's heart. Watching Arizona almost burst into tears because she didn't know what seat to chose, was heart breaking. "I don't mind, sweetie. You sit wherever you feel most comfortable."

"The last time, it was only a single seat," Arizona recalled darkly, her eyes clouded with exhaustion and complete dread. She remembered feeling like she was sat nearer the aisle than the window, so that was out. "The middle," she finally decided, giving a tight nod. "I wanna sit in the middle."

Squeezing a fair hand, Callie gave her girlfriend a reassuring smile. "Where do you want me to sit?"

"The window," Arizona answered sharply, though the reason why she had chosen that specific seat, was completely unknown. "If...if that's okay."

"That's fine." Callie moved around the side of Arizona and slipped into the preferred seat, Arizona immediately following and sitting down next to her. She felt Arizona lay her head down on her shoulder, the soft wisps of blonde hair tickling her face. "You okay?" Callie softly whispered, laying her own head down on top of her girlfriend's.

Releasing a heavy breath, Arizona nodded against Callie's shoulder, but did not say anything. Without Callie, Arizona had no idea how she would cope in such a situation — she was unbelievably glad that she got to call Callie Torres her girlfriend.

The plane was quiet, peaceful even. Callie's husky breathing in Arizona's ear, was soothing and calming. Arizona felt herself beginning to drift off into a slumber. That was until someone, however many rows back, dropped their bag onto the floor, the loud bang just about making Arizona jump out of her skin.

"It's fine," Callie soothed, forcing Arizona's pale face to look at her own. "Somebody dropped their bag. Everything's fine, okay?" She nodded encouragingly, hoping Arizona would do the same.

But she didn't.

Struggling to inhale a clear breath, Arizona shook her head vigorously from side to side. "No. I can't do this. I can't be here."

Grasping shaking hands firmly with her own, Callie maintained eye contact with her terrified girlfriend. "You can do this. Nothing bad is going to happen..."

"Can you promise that?" Arizona cut Callie off sharply, her deep blue eyes filled with nothing but complete fear. "Can you promise me that nothing bad is going to happen?"

"Yeah, I can," Callie said, completely taking Arizona by surprise. "I promise you that nothing is going to happen to either of us...because our story does not end with a plane crash, Arizona. Trust me."

And like she did every single other time Callie had uttered those two words — Arizona did trust her. She guessed that it was a little sad, but Arizona loved it when Callie would give little hints about their future. "Wha-what does our story end with?"

Callie wasn't one to be shy. She knew she was going to marry Arizona, knew it from the first time she set eyes on her stunning girlfriend. People could say she was crazy, but for Callie — Arizona Robbins was her one and only. And she always would be.

"What do you want it to end with?" Callie curiously asked in return, a tight smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Giving a small shrug, Arizona tried her best to ignore the fluttering of butterflies in her chest. "I dunno. Us, together? Being happy, together."

"Married?" Callie couldn't stop herself from asking.

Arizona smiled softly, some of the previously drained color returning to her face. "Yeah."

For Callie, the next one was a big one. She had never heard Arizona give mention of it. "Kids?" she inquired quietly, almost hesitant of the answer her girlfriend was going to give her.

"Two," Arizona replied without any hint of hesitancy that Callie was expecting. She bit back a grin at the look of mild shock on her girlfriend's face. "With about two or three years between them."

Callie's mouth fell open a little, though she was beyond happy with the answer. "That's extremely precise."

"Me and Tim were three years apart and we were really close," Arizona explained, gripping Callie's hand even tighter as the plane began to move forward. "What's your timeline?"

"Uhm," Callie hesitated, trying to think of a decent answer. But, eventually, she came up empty. "I think that every relationship is different. I think that it should go by how you feel, and not by how long you've been together."

Arizona could've laughed; the opinion was frighteningly similar to her own. "So, just...see how it goes?"

"Yeah," Callie agreed softly, feeling anxious in the best way possible. A few weeks ago, Callie had doubts about whether their relationship was ever going to get moving. And now, here they were: sat on a plane as a couple, talking about their future.

Things had definitely improved.

Arizona clenched her eyes shut, hard, when they plane began to stride forward at an alarmingly fast pace. "Don't let go of my hand," she begged, forcing even breaths in and out through her mouth and nose.

Once again, Callie hand tightened its death grip. "I will never let go of your hand. I promise."

And that was the technique they used on every flight they ever went on together.

* * *

California was hot... like _really_ hot.

Being from Miami, Callie was used to living in soaring temperatures. But being up a California mountain/hiking trail, was something else entirely. The group had been at the bottom of Mount Beag — Beag meaning little/small in Gaelic — for around an hour, listening to their tour guide, Matt, explain the next two days.

The first thing he had explained, was that Mount Beag was more of a scenic hiking trail, rather than an actual mountain. The next thing, was the heat, and how everyone had to consume, at least, one bottle of water every hour. Next, came food, sleeping arrangements, things that would be found in the woods at night.

The latter being something that had caught Arizona's attention dramatically. She hadn't really thought about that scenario.

And then finally, after everything had been talked over, they were finally ready to get the show on the road.

"You ready?" Callie turned to ask her girlfriend, slipping her heavy bag onto her shoulders.

Arizona did the same with her own bag. "Ready as I'll ever be."

And at that moment, neither knew what would happen to their relationship in only two days time.

* * *

**I know it was a while between updates, but I'm not even gonna bother boring you guys with excuses. Just one thing: I never planned for them to climb Kilimanjaro. The only reason I said that, was because I knew _most_ people would have heard of it and knew what it was, whereas if I said Mount Beag, everyone would have been confused etc. This chapter didn't really do anything for me, but it felt completely necessary to write. I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually starting to prefer writing the fluffy/light chapters more than the angsty ones...I'm worried for myself. Also, I'm anticipating some people being disappointed with the plane scene, but — for me, personally — I think it was far too obvious for Arizona to have a compete meltdown. So I went for the complete opposite.**

**Anyway, Happy Grey's Days, guys! **

**Long live Calzona!**


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